Nodules Research Paper

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Pages: 3

Nodules are formed by rhizobium bacteria growing in legume roots. This process is called nodulation. The first step of nodulation is the process of rhizobium bacteria attaching to and penetrating the root hair of a soybean seedling. The bacteria then forms an infection thread that grows and elongates to the root hairs’ base. Swelling occurs near the tip of the thread which causes a nodule to form. One thread may cause multiple infections. As the nodules mature and the roots elongate, nodules begin to perform nitrogen fixation. Through this process, atmospheric nitrogen is converted to ammonium which is used by the plant to perform life functions. The nitrogen-fixing bacteria gains carbohydrates in return. On average, eight to ten root nodules will form on a soybean plant.

One type of this fungus is ectomycorrhizae. It usually only associates with hardwood plants like oak, fir, pine, and birch trees. This fungi forms an intercellular matrix containing branched hyphae in between cortical and epidermal root cells. This appears as a dense sheath covering root surfaces. It doesn’t penetrate its hosts’ cells.
Arbuscular mycorrhizae on the other hand do penetrate the root cell walls, but not the plasma membrane. It forms branches from the root cells to attract and retain nutrients. The
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Cation exchange occurs at exchange sites. First soil microorganisms that break down organic material and plant roots give off carbon dioxide. When it combines with water in soil carbonic acid is formed and hydrogen ions are exuded. Then these ions are attracted to a negatively charged exchange site that they attach to and neutralize the charge. The calcium ion that is attached to the site is replaced by hydrogen ions when there is enough of them (at least two since calcium has a double-positive charge and hydrogen only has one). The calcium is now available to be taken up by