Why would the plant need nitrogen from the ground when the air is 78% nitrogen?
In: Biology
The nitrogen in the air is useless, because it’s all in the same chemical form that plants can’t capture.
But, some bacteria can capture atmospheric nitrogen just fine, and they make it into forms that they (and plants) can use. And these bacteria live in the ground, meaning they can’t get sunlight so they can’t make their own energy.
So, when these bacteria and certain plants find each other, the plant makes extra sugar for the bacteria, and in return, the bacteria capture extra nitrogen for the plant. And since both organisms benefit from this relationship, the bacteria don’t infect and kill the rest of the plant, and the plant doesn’t fight and kill the bacteria.
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