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Many legumes have root nodules that provide a home for symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria called rhizobia. This relationship is particularly common in nitrogen-limited conditions. The Rhizobia convert nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into ammonia, which is then used in the formation of amino acids and nucleotides .
In nodules where nitrogen-fixation is occurring, the plant tissues contain the oxygen-scavenging molecule, leghaemoglobin (serving the same function as the oxygen-carrying haemoglobin in blood). The function of this molecule in nodules is to reduce the amount of free oxygen, and thereby to protect the nitrogen-fixing enzyme nitrogenase, which is irreversibly inactivated by oxygen. Some excellent images and discussion of these leguminous associations can be found at: