A team of researchers found that cause the characteristic smell of spring is a chemical compound produced by bacteria with the onset of the season. The results of a study published in the journal Nature Microbiology, reports the Daily Mail.
Geosmin is an organic substance that makes the earth smell. It is produced bacterium Streptomyces. After a series of experiments, experts from the center of the John Innes in Norwich have reported an Association between Streptomyces and COLLEMBOLAN (springtails or, a subclass of small arthropods). The team put out traps for the tiny insects using bacteria as bait, and found that the Streptomyces attract springtails, producing geosmin. Nagahuedi feed on bacteria and, in turn, are fully covered by their spores, which then gradually spread the soil, allowing bacteria to multiply.
It is assumed that a symbiotic relationship between the two species began over 450 million years ago. According to scientists, this process is similar to the way birds eat the fruits of plants, and then spread their seeds. Previously, researchers thought that streptomycetes spores are spread by wind and water, but it seemed ineffective. Now the discovery has helped clarify that a primitive of nagahuedi are an important part of the life cycle of bacteria that produce a number of organic compounds, including powerful antibiotics.
