Botanical Insights - Getting At the Nitrogen

This pictorial display will focus on the natural process of nitrogen fixation, where certain bacteria in the soil and plant roots transform atmospheric nitrogen into compounds that become available for plant uptake and growth.

It will take a look at the impact of atmospheric lighting on nitrogen fixation.

Importantly, it will highlight the plant species that have evolved a carnivorous habit to access nitrogen in low-nutrient environments. It will reveal the fascinating mechanisms of action of these somewhat creepy plants and their deadly efficiency in trapping and ‘dealing to’ the small animals that make up their diet.

This display is in the Treehouse Visitor Centre, Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā. You can visit anytime during opening hours (9am-4pm weekdays, 10am-3pm weekends and public holidays).

This display is created by Reg Harris who is a volunteer guide [botany] at Wellington Botanic Garden.
Reg delivers botany lectures for diverse audiences, delving into plant interactions, adaptive radiation, tropisms, and more. As a dedicated volunteer guide at Wellington Botanic Garden (WBG), he pioneered collaborations between WBG and Victoria University, organizing annual field labs for biology students. Expanding in 2023, the program engaged around two hundred students yearly. Reg, a former forester in Western Southland, managed vast beech forests and explored sustainable practices in Japan. His background in Regenerative Medicine, studies at the University of Otago and Australian National University, and post-graduate business studies at Victoria University enrich his interest in botany and sciences.