No biological system operates in complete isolation.
A nutrient cycle involves the transfer and exchange of both organic and inorganic materials back into the matter's production. This constant recycling process happens continuously.
In systems that appear to be closed (closed loop), nutrient availability might be restricted due to slow cycling within the system and/or the inability to address deficiencies through migration.
Each subunit of a hemoglobin protein contains a heme group, and since a hemoglobin protein comprises four subunits—two α and two β—we can calculate the total number of heme groups by multiplying four (the number of heme groups per hemoglobin) by three (the total hemoglobin molecules considered). Hence, 4 × 3 = 12. This means that three hemoglobin protein molecules possess twelve heme groups.