The Symbiotic “All-Rounders”: Partnerships between Marine Animals and Chemosynthetic Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria

Abstract

Nitrogen fixation is a widespread metabolic trait in certain types of microorganisms called diazotrophs. Bioavailable nitrogen is limited in various habitats on land and in the sea and, accordingly, a range of plant, animal, and single-celled eukaryotes have evolved symbioses with diverse diazotrophic bacteria, with enormous economic and ecological benefits.