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How do Rhizobium bacteria and legume roots work together to produce ammonia?
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ammonia
Ammonia and amines have a slightly flattened trigonal pyramidal shape with a lone pair of electrons above the nitrogen. In quaternary ammonium ions, this area is occupied by a fourth substituent.
The relationship between Rhizobium bacteria and legumes is a mutually beneficial symbiosis that enables the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia.12
The process functions through the following steps:
- Infection and Nodule Formation: Rhizobium bacteria invade the root hairs of the host plant. This invasion stimulates the plant to form root nodules, which are specialized enlargements of plant cells that provide a protected environment for the bacteria.13
- Biosynthetic Interaction: Within these nodules, the bacteria and the host plant engage in a complex biosynthetic interaction. The plant provides the bacteria with a home and necessary subsistence, while the bacteria convert free atmospheric nitrogen () into ammonia.123
- Utilization: The ammonia produced is then utilized by the host plant for its development and growth.13
This biological process is essential for the nitrogen cycle, as it transforms inert nitrogen gas into a reactive form that plants can metabolize.234