Biological nitrogen fixation nodules in legumes in three different sites in Kruger National Park

Broad-leaf savannas are more nutrient limited than fine-leaf savannas. Plant
productivity is constrained by Nitrogen availability thus some legume plants have
developed adaptations to obtain atmospheric nitrogen in a usable form by forming a
symbioses with nitrogen fixing bacteria that form gall like nodules on the roots. Our
study aims to determine if herbaceous leguminous plants in the nutrient limited broad
leaf site have a higher occurrence of nitrogen fixing nodules in comparison to the fine
leaf site. Additionally as fire causes a loss of Nitrogen to occur in the system we
aimed to see if the burnt broad leaf site has a higher occurrence of nodules in the
burn plot than the unburnt plot. We found the broad-leaf and burnt broad leaf sites
have a similar proportion of nodulated plants (P<.834188) with fine-leaf site
comparatively lower (P<.001877) in comparison to the broad-leaf site.
Second Language Abstract: Breed-blaar grasvlakte is meer voedend beperk as fyn-blaar
grasvlakte. Stikstof biskikbaarheid beperk die produktiwiteit van
plante en toe n’ paar peuldraend plante het aanwendings ontwikkel
om lugstoornis stikstof te kry wat kan gebruik wees. Bakteria wat
stikstof vasmaak vorm knoesies wat soos galnote lyk op die
wortels van plante. Die doel van ons studie is om te sien as die
voedend beperk breed-blaar plek het n’ hoer voorval van die
knossies wat stikstof vasmaak as die fyn-blaar grasflakte lokasie.
As vuur kan n’ verlooring van stikstof in n’ sisteem veroorsaak ons
will ook probeer sien as daar a hoer voorval van knossies in die
gebrande breed-blaar lokaasie sal wees. Ons uitslae het gewys dat
die breed-blaar loakasie wat nie gebrand is nie het n’ gelyksoortig
eweredigheid van knossies as die gebrand lokasie (P<.834188).
Ons het ook gevind dat in vergelyking die fyn-blaar lokasie n’ laaer
eweredigheid van knossies gehad het.