What does the nitrogen cycle transfer?

The nitrogen cycle is a crucial ecological process that describes how nitrogen moves through the atmosphere, soil, and living organisms. Option B accurately captures the entirety of this cycle by highlighting the transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil, where it is then utilized by living organisms such as plants, animals, and microbes, and ultimately returns back to the atmosphere through processes like denitrification.

In this cycle, nitrogen is first fixed from the atmospheric N2 gas into forms that can be used by living organisms, primarily through the action of certain bacteria. These forms, like ammonia and nitrates, are then absorbed by plants, which incorporate them into organic molecules. When animals eat these plants, nitrogen continues to move through the food chain. Eventually, when plants and animals die or excrete waste, nitrogen is returned to the soil. Certain bacteria can further convert these nitrogen compounds back into N2 gas, completing the cycle by releasing nitrogen back into the atmosphere.

This comprehensive understanding of the nitrogen cycle underscores how it facilitates the movement of nitrogen in multiple forms throughout different ecosystems, thus supporting the growth of organisms and maintaining ecological balance.