Quote:
Originally Posted by nutronjon
And really, why do plants want nitrogen? What is happening when a seed comes to life? What does it need to live?
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Very good answer Maikeru, ...about the Nitrogen.
One bit of trivia is that the active site for photosynthesis contains two Magnesium atoms, each held in place by four Nitrogen atoms (total = eight Nitrogens/site).
...about seeds:
Seeds contain enough nutrients to sprout and develop into a seedling capable of photosynthesis and metabolizing the surrounding nutrients.
After that, plants rely on many metabolic pathways that are almost identical to animal metabolic pathways (...requiring the same nutrients). Animals synthesize sugar from broken down foodstuffs, whereas plants synthesize sugar from CO2 (via photosynthesis); but after that, plants and animals use sugar for energy, in growth and development, in about the same way.
...I think that's a valid summary (unless I've erred by oversimplifying).
I always welcome corrections or additions.
...but isn't it amazing how similar "life" is, underneath the "skin."
