Q: Which of the following adds/add nitrogen to the soil?
- Excretion of urea by animals
- Burning of coal by man
- Death of vegetation
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
a) 1 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3
Correct Answer: Option (c)
- When animals defecate, this waste material is broken down by worms and insects mostly beetles and ants. These small ‘soil animals’ break the waste material into smaller bits on which microscopic bacteria and fungi can act. This material is thus broken down further into nutrients that plants can absorb and use for their growth. Thus, nutrients are recycled back from animals to plants. Similarly, the bodies of dead animals are also broken down into nutrients that are used by the plants for their growth. Thus, the nitrogen cycle on which life is dependent is completed. Statement 2 is wrong as burning of coal does not produce Nitrogen of its compounds. Hence, option (c) is correct.
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