Legumes contain seeds, such as peas and beans, that are rich in protein. Nodule -a special structure of roots of certain plants which contain the symbiotic, nitrogen fixing bacteria Rhizobium. Nutrients - the necessary components of food that microbes and all life require to exist and grow. Essential elemental nutrients include such basic molecules as nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace minerals. Protein - an important molecule that is found in all life.
Proteins are polymers, that is, long strings of individual amino acids.
Sugars -a sweet tasting substance produced by many organisms which is used as an energy storage molecule. A symbiosis is an ecological relationship between two or more different species living together in direct contact. In microbial ecology when the term symbiosis is used, unless stated otherwise, it refers to mutually beneficial relationships.