Chapter 18, Problem 15A

Summary Introduction

To describe:

Consequences of extinction of nitrogen fixing bacteria.

Introduction:

The nitrogen is an important elements of the living body and the atmosphere. The atmospheric nitrogen is fixed by the bacteria into the soil.

Explanation of Solution

Plants are autotrophs and similar to other living things they also need variety of nutrients for their survival. They can synthesize their own food, but they obtain many nutrients from the soil and the atmosphere. The nitrogen is one of such nutrients that they obtain from the soil. In the absence of nitrogen, the plants cannot grow properly.

In case, the nitrogen fixing bacteria gets extinct, the plants would not be able to get nitrogen from the soil. This would result in declining plant population. As the plants are autotrophs and other organisms such as animals directly or indirectly depend on plants as their source of food, they will also decline. Hence, extinction of nitrogen fixing bacteria would lead to extinction of plants and animals too.