Research has shown that aerial roots in some species are more efficient at taking up nitrogen than soil roots!
This is likely due to evolutionary pressure in low-nutrient, high-competition settings where epiphytes evolved to capitalize on nutrient run-off or atmospheric deposition.
Nutrients are not absorbed directly from the air as gases but are taken up in solution. Airborne dust, trace minerals, and organic debris dissolve in water droplets, allowing the aerial roots to absorb them after they contact the root’s surface.
Some aerial roots, like those on maize in the Sierra Mixe region, even secrete mucilage that supports nitrogen-fixing bacteria, helping the plant absorb atmospheric nitrogen as a nutrient source.
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