Rhizobia-diatom symbiosis fixes missing nitrogen in the ocean. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38723661/)

These scientists discovered a new type of bacteria called Candidatus Tectiglobus diatomicola that can help provide nitrogen to tiny plants called diatoms in the ocean. Normally, nitrogen in the ocean is mainly produced by cyanobacteria, but these scientists found that this new bacteria can also help in this process. The bacteria belong to a group called Rhizobiales and they work together with the diatoms in a partnership where the bacteria provide nitrogen to the diatoms in exchange for carbon that the diatoms produce through photosynthesis. This discovery is important because it shows that there are other types of bacteria in the ocean that can help provide nutrients to marine plants, not just the cyanobacteria.

Tschitschko B., Esti M., Philippi M., Kidane AT., Littmann S., Kitzinger K., Speth DR., Li S., Kraberg A., Tienken D., Marchant HK., Kartal B., Milucka J., Mohr W., Kuypers MMM. Rhizobia-diatom symbiosis fixes missing nitrogen in the ocean. Nature. 2024 May 9. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07495-w.