How Soil Microbes Help Plants Get Nutrients

Soil microbes help plants get nutrients, water, and protection. Plants can make their own food by photosynthesis, but they still depend on organisms in the soil to get the nutrients they need to work properly. Bacteria and fungi form symbiotic relationships with plants, which helps both partners survive in many environments....

Though plants derive their food through photosynthesis, they also require minerals and nutrients. Some plants rely on soil-dwelling organisms to efficiently acquire resources from the soil.

Rhizobacteria are prokaryotes that live in association with plant roots. This diverse class of organisms receives nutrition from plant roots while pr...