--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The nitrogen cycle is a kind of miracle…" description: "\"“The nitrogen cycle is a kind of miracle. The nitrogen cycle requires bears. Brown bears catch salmon in streams and rivers. Then the brown bears carry..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/ned-hayes-25391_trees_the-nitrogen-cycle-is-a-kind-of-miracle_2070757.jpg" --- # The nitrogen cycle is a kind of miracle. The nitrogen… ![“The nitrogen cycle is a kind of miracle. The nitrogen cycle requires bears. Brown bears catch salmon in streams and rivers. Then the brown bears carry the salmon farther inland, and they bury these nitrogen-rich fish in the ground for later retrieval. But bears have short memories, and often they…” quote by Ned Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/ned-hayes-25391_trees_the-nitrogen-cycle-is-a-kind-of-miracle_2070757.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/ned-hayes-25391_trees_the-nitrogen-cycle-is-a-kind-of-miracle_2070757.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/ned-hayes-25391_trees_the-nitrogen-cycle-is-a-kind-of-miracle_2070757.jpg) > ““The nitrogen cycle is a kind of miracle. The nitrogen cycle requires bears. Brown bears catch salmon in streams and rivers. Then the brown bears carry the salmon farther inland, and they bury these nitrogen-rich fish in the ground for later retrieval. But bears have short memories, and often they forget the fish where they left them, far inland from the streams. And the fish bodies decompose, leaving a reservoir of nitrogen in the ground. This creates a rich and fertile environment for large trees to grow, and in fact without the nitrogen deposited by the bears, very large old-growth trees would probably never have been able to continue their growth cycle. Five hundred years ago, if someone had removed all bears, none of the old-growth trees we have now would have grown.”” [Ned Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-hayes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bears transport salmon, whose decomposed bodies enrich soil with nitrogen, enabling old‑growth forests to thrive. **In simple terms:** Bears help trees grow by moving nitrogen‑rich fish inland. Key Takeaway Protect wildlife that sustains ecosystems. Themes ecology interdependence conservation Mood concerned hopeful Type educational informative When to use this quote - forest management - wildlife protection - environmental education Key Concepts nutrient cycling ecosystem engineers forest dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How would forest ecosystems change without bear‑mediated nitrogen? - What other species act as nutrient vectors? A Different Perspective If bears disappear, nitrogen input drops, threatening forest health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) ## Related quotes > [The oxygen cycle, the nitrogen cycle, the carbon cycle, the water cycle - all of these are linked to the existence of life in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-oxygen-cycle-the-nitrogen-cycle-the-carbon-cycle-the-water-cycle/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [We have decisively changed the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the rate of extinction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-nixon/we-have-decisively-changed-the-carbon-cycle-the-nitrogen-cycle-and/) [Rob Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-nixon/) > [And to use something as elegant as a tree? 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