The central part of nitrogen metabolism is the Nitrogen Cycle. A nitrogen molecule is made of two nitrogen atoms held together by a solid triple covalent bond (N ≡ N). There are three central pools of nitrogen – atmosphere, soil, and biomass.
The process of converting atmospheric nitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3) is called nitrogen fixation. Atmospheric nitrogen is rooted in three ways – biological, electrical, and industrial.
The above processes rooted atmospheric nitrogen into the soil. This nitrogen is then taken up by plants and animals, accordingly.
When plants and animals die, the organic nitrogen within them has degraded to ammonia the process is ‘Ammonification‘ and it returns nitrogen back to the soil.