Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Introduction to Plant Diversity

Introduction to Plant Diversity

From Water to Land

The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition

The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition

Plants have the impressive ability to create their own food through photosynthesis. However, plants often require assistance from organisms in the soil to acquire the nutrients they need to function correctly. Both bacteria and fungi have evolved symbiotic relationships with plants that help the species to thrive in a wide variety of environments.

The Soil Ecosystem

The Soil Ecosystem

Plants obtain inorganic minerals and water from the soil, which acts as a natural medium for land plants. The composition and quality of soil depend not only on the chemical constituents but also on the presence of living organisms. In general, soils contain three major components:

Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores

Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores

Plants often form mutualistic relationships with soil-dwelling fungi or bacteria to enhance their roots’ nutrient uptake ability. Root-colonizing fungi (e.g., mycorrhizae) increase a plant’s root surface area, which promotes nutrient absorption. While root-colonizing, nitrogen-fixing bacteria (e.g., rhizobia) convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3), making nitrogen available to plants for various biological functions. For example, nitrogen is essential for the...

Non-vascular Seedless Plants

Non-vascular Seedless Plants

The diverse plant life on Earth—consisting of nearly 400,000 species—can be divided into three broad categories based on biological characteristics: nonvascular, seedless vascular, and seed plants.

Water and Mineral Acquisition

Water and Mineral Acquisition

Specialized tissues in plant roots have evolved to capture water, minerals, and some ions from the soil. Roots exhibit a variety of branching patterns that facilitate this process. The outermost root cells have specialized structures called root hairs that increase the root surface, thus increasing soil contact. Water can passively cross into roots, as the concentration of water in the soil is higher than that of the root tissue. Minerals, in contrast, are actively transported into root cells.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Convergence, stability, and thermal adaptation of the rubisco large subunit in plants.

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2026

Same author

Prof Stephen P. Long, FRS (1950-2025).

Global change biology·2025

Same author

Environmental factors have a greater influence on photosynthetic capacity in C<sub>4</sub> plants than biochemical subtypes or growth forms.

The New phytologist·2025

Same author

How evolution repeatedly builds complexity: a case study with C<sub>4</sub> photosynthesis in Blepharis (Acanthaceae).

The New phytologist·2025

Same author

C<sub>4</sub> photosynthesis, trait spectra, and the fast-efficient phenotype.

The New phytologist·2025

Same author

The genome of Eleocharis vivipara elucidates the genetics of C<sub>3</sub>-C<sub>4</sub> photosynthetic plasticity and karyotype evolution in the Cyperaceae.

Journal of integrative plant biology·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 24, 2025

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

Focus issue on plants and their soil communities

¹Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada.

Annals of Botany

|July 6, 2023

Summary

No abstract available in PubMed .

More Related Videos

Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments

Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments

Published on: July 24, 2018

A Lipid Extraction and Analysis Method for Characterizing Soil Microbes in Experiments with Many Samples

A Lipid Extraction and Analysis Method for Characterizing Soil Microbes in Experiments with Many Samples

Published on: July 16, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 24, 2025

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments

Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments

Published on: July 24, 2018

A Lipid Extraction and Analysis Method for Characterizing Soil Microbes in Experiments with Many Samples

A Lipid Extraction and Analysis Method for Characterizing Soil Microbes in Experiments with Many Samples

Published on: July 16, 2017