All Exams Test series for 1 year @ ₹349 only
Question

Which one of the following organisms is a free living nitrogen fixer ?

The correct answer is
Azotobacter

Free Living Nitrogen Fixer Identification

The question requires identifying an organism that fixes atmospheric nitrogen (N2) independently, without forming a symbiotic relationship with a host plant.

Analysis of Nitrogen-Fixing Organisms

  • Azotobacter: This bacterium is known to fix atmospheric nitrogen while living freely in various environments like soil and water. It is a classic example of a free-living nitrogen fixer.
  • Rhizobium: This bacterium is symbiotic. It lives inside the root nodules of leguminous plants and fixes nitrogen in partnership with the plant. It doesn't fix nitrogen independently in a free-living state.
  • Frankia: Similar to Rhizobium, Frankia is a filamentous bacterium that forms symbiotic associations, known as actinorhizae, with the roots of certain non-leguminous plants. It is not free-living.
  • Dorylimes: This genus belongs to ants (insects) and is unrelated to nitrogen fixation processes.

Determining the Free Living Nitrogen Fixer

Comparing the options, only Azotobacter meets the criteria of being a free-living organism capable of nitrogen fixation.

Was this answer helpful?

Important Questions from Ecology

  1. Which ecologist is famous for studying plant life in the Indiana Dunes in 1896?

  2. What is the study of interactions between a living organism and its environment?

  3. In the context of ecology, the given equation shows the relationship between the size of an area and the number of species present in it. Accordingly, by which letter is the regression coefficient denoted?

    log S = log C + Z log A

  4. Hedgegroves in an agricultural landscape typify

  5. Metapopulations, a series of separated subpopulations,

Need Expert Advice?

Start Your Preparation with Prepp Mobile App

Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Prepp Mobile App