Explain the difference between symbiotic relationship and non symbiotic relationship
Nitrogen fixation is the process in which atmospheric nitrogen is made easily available to the living organisms for various purposes.
Symbiotic nitrogen fixation usually occurs in plants that carry nitrogen-fixing bacteria within their tissues. The best example is Rhizobium bacteria and leguminous plants. They both can survive independently, but it is beneficial to both if they are together as they nitrogen fixation takes place.
Relationships that are loose in between the nitrogen-fixing bacteria and the plants are called as associative relationships and the nitrogen-fixing is called as non-symbiotic nitrogen fixation. It occurs in rice roots. In non-symbiotic nitrogen fixation, the bacteria do not require a host plant. The free-living aerobic and anaerobic bacteria in the soil fix the atmospheric nitrogen and increase the nitrogen content of the soil.