At physiological pH, ammonia is protonated to form $NH_4^+$ ions. Most plants absorb nitrogen as nitrates, but if they accumulate ammonia, it becomes:
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Correct answer: Toxic to the plant
While NH₄⁺ is used for amino acid synthesis, its accumulation is toxic to plants. Therefore, plants rapidly convert NH₄⁺ into amino acids to prevent cellular damage.
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More Nitrogen cycle in nature questions
- In 'Reductive Amination', ammonia reacts with which organic acid to form Glutamic acid?
- The transfer of an amino group from one amino acid to the keto group of a keto acid is called:
- Asparagine and glutamine are two important ______ found in plants that contain more nitrogen than amino acids.
- Some plants, like soyabean, export fixed nitrogen as specialized compounds called:
- The process of conversion of atmospheric nitrogen ($N_2$) to ammonia ($NH_3$) is termed as:
- Decomposition of organic nitrogen of dead plants and animals into ammonia is called: