Nitrogen Fixation

Biological Environment > Nitrogen Fixation

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Fixing nitrogen means splitting nitrogen molecules into atoms, and using those atoms to build other molecules, such as nitrates or ammonia compounds. These can then be used by other plants to build protein, one of the main components of life.

Two kinds of nitrogen-fixing bacteria are recognized: blue-green and other types of free-living bacteria, and symbiotic bacteria associated with leguminous plants and cereal grasses.