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