Hare's-foot #clover, #Trifolium #arvense (#Fabaceae), is native to Europe/Western Asia and inhabits dry, sandy, nitrate-poor #habitats. #Seeds are enclosed in feathery calyxes that protect against desiccation, serve as #flightorgans, but also adhere to animals. It hosts #symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria (paraphyletic "#Rhizobia"), which S. Schulz et al. (2013) analyzed in more detail via functional marker gene nifH.
©#StefanFWirth #Berlin 2025

Ref
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-1183-2013

#Photos
©S.F.Wirth

How do plants pick their friends?

A new Insight Article delves into research investigating the symbiotic relationship between legumes, such as soybean, and #rhizobia bacteria and the central role of protein RIN4.
https://elifesciences.org/articles/108116?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic_insights
#Symbiosis

#Bacteria that live in soil and help roots #fix #nitrogen can
⭐️boost certain plants' capacity to reproduce,
according to an article published in the American Journal of Botany describing a study of this mechanism
in #Chamaecrista #latistipula,
a legume belonging to the Fabaceae family, which includes beans and peas

#rhizobia are bacteria that fix nitrogen in plant roots

In nitrogen-poor sandy soil with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, plants were almost twice as tall and three times larger than those grown in nitrogen-rich soil with organic matter and rhizobia.

On the other hand, the plants grown without rhizobia in both sandy soil and soil rich in organic matter were shorter and smaller than those grown with rhizobia

https://phys.org/news/2024-09-presence-bacteria-soil-pollinators.html

2024 has been a spectacular year for #phytoplankton symbiosis: @vincentflora at #ISME19.

Nitrogen-fixing #organelle in a marine alga https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adk1075

#Rhizobia–diatom #symbiosis fixes missing nitrogen in the ocean https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07495-w

#microbes #bacteria #diatoms #algae #protists

Rhythmic #GeneExpression in #plants is crucial for #symbiosis with nutrient-providing bacteria
https://phys.org/news/2024-07-rhythmic-gene-crucial-symbiosis-nutrient.html

Periodic #cytokinin responses in Lotus japonicus #rhizobium infection and nodule development https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adk5589

"#Legumes thrive in low-nitrogen environments by partnering with #rhizobia, #soil #bacteria that convert atmospheric #nitrogen into #ammonium, a usable form for the plants. These beneficial bacteria are housed in root nodules formed on legume roots."

Wow!
For years, researchers couldn't identify the source of so much nitrogen (N) in the oceans. It was thought that cyanobacteria were the only organisms capable of fixing nitrogen in marine ecosystems, but their numbers could explain only half of the observed N.
Some years ago, mysterious gene fragments coding for a nitrogenase (the enzyme that fixes nitrogen) were found in seawater samples. These traces were not from cyanobacteria. But then, from who?

A recent study found that the N-fixing bacteria are related to Rhizobia and seem to be symbiotic with diatomees (unicellular algae). Yes, *the rhizobia*. *In a symbiosis*. *with unicellular algae* (= plants)
😃
Rhizobia are the bacteria that fix the Nitrogen in the root nodules of leguminous plants, effectively making the rich terrestrial ecosystems possible.
And their cousins in the sea seem to do the same. The plants provide the bacteria carbohydrates (easy-peasy for photosynthetic organisms, as carbon is not their problem) and shelter, and the bacteria fix nitrogen. Just like this. And everyone benefits, including the surrounding ecosystem.
This is really cool and made my day!

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07495-w

#Microbiology #Ecology #Nitrogen #Rhizobia #NitrogenCycle #Oceans #MarineBiology #SciComm
#ScienceIsWonderful #AmazingScience

New #rhizobia-#diatom #symbiosis solves long-standing marine mystery.

#nitrogen_fixation #Tectiglobus_diatomicola

https://phys.org/news/2024-05-rhizobia-diatom-symbiosis-marine-mystery.html

#Genes identified that allow #bacteria to thrive despite #toxic #heavy_metal in #soil.

#rhizobia #evolution #genomics

https://phys.org/news/2024-03-genes-bacteria-toxic-heavy-metal.html

Researchers uncover a key link in #legume #plant -#bacteria #symbiosis.

#SYMRK #rhizobia #roots #nodules

https://phys.org/news/2024-02-uncover-key-link-legume-bacteria.html