proteins
Cooperation between Bacteria and Eukaryotes: Nitrogen Fixation Nitrogen is a very important element to living things, because it is part of nucleotides and amino acids that are the building blocks of nucleic acids and proteins, respectively. Nitrogen is usually the most limiting element in terrestrial ecosystems, with atmospheric nitrogen, N2, providing the largest pool of available nitrogen. However, eukaryotes cannot use atmospheric, gaseous nitrogen to synthesize macromolecules. Fortunately, nitrogen can be fixed, meaning it is converted into ammonia NH3 either biologically or abiotically. Abiotic nitrogen fixation occurs as a result of lightning or by industrial processes. Biological nitrogen fixation BNF is exclusively carried out by prokaryotes: soil bacteria, cyanobacteria, and Frankia spp. filamentous bacteria interacting with actinorhizal plants such as alder, bayberry, and sweet fern . After photosynthesis, BNF is the second most important biological process on Earth. The equation representing the process is as follows.