nitrogen fixer

noun

1. any of various microorganisms in the soil involved in the process of nitrogen fixation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nitrogen fixer¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

"For years, we have been finding gene fragments encoding the nitrogen-fixing nitrogenase enzyme, which appeared to belong to one particular non-cyanobacterial nitrogen fixer," says Marcel Kuypers, lead author on the study.

From Science Daily

They collected hundreds of liters of seawater from the region, in which a large part of global marine nitrogen fixation takes place, hoping to both identify and quantify the importance of the mysterious nitrogen fixer.

From Science Daily

"We were finding sets of four Rhizobia, always sitting in the same spot inside the diatoms," says Kuypers, "It was very exciting as this is the first known symbiosis between a diatom and a non-cyanobacterial nitrogen fixer."

From Science Daily

Having finally worked out the identity of the missing nitrogen fixer, they focused their attention on working out how the bacteria and diatom live in partnership.

From Science Daily

Finally, the simulations from the authors’ biogeochemistry–ecology model consider essentially just one type of nitrogen fixer, whereas a diverse range of organisms are capable of nitrogen fixation14.

From Nature