Ectomycorrhizal weathering of the soil minerals muscovite and hornblende

Ectomycorrhizal fungi are hypothesized to enhance mineral weathering in forest soils. Several studies have shown an increased uptake of mineral-derived nutrients by trees when in symbiosis with ectomycorrhizal fungi. However, it is difficult to determine from these studies if the improved nutrient uptake is the result of increased weathering or better exploitation of the substrate by the ectomycorrhizal fungi. In a pot experiment, Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine) seedlings were grown with or without ectomycorrhizal fungi, and with or without the mineral muscovite as the only potassium (K) source or the mineral hornblende as the only magnesium (Mg) source. After 27 wk, all pools of non-mineral-bound K or Mg were determined. The ectomycorrhizal fungus Paxillus involutus increased weathering of muscovite but not hornblende. The other ectomycorrhizal fungi tested, Piloderma croceum and Suillus bovinus, did not increase weathering of either muscovite or hornblende compared with the nonmycorrhizal trees. The P. involutus-mediated mobilization of K from muscovite resulted in increased K content of root plus adhering hyphae, but not of shoots. In conclusion, ectomycorrhizal fungi may increase weathering of minerals in response to nutrient deficiencies, but this response is species specific.     

Evolution of trees and mycorrhizal fungi intensifies silicate mineral weathering

Forested ecosystems diversified more than 350 Ma to become major engines of continental silicate weathering, regulating the Earth''s atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration by driving calcium export into ocean carbonates. Our field experiments with mature trees demonstrate intensification of this weathering engine as tree lineages diversified in concert with their symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi. Preferential hyphal colonization of the calcium silicate-bearing rock, basalt, progressively increased with advancement from arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) to later, independently evolved ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi, and from gymnosperm to angiosperm hosts with both fungal groups. This led to ‘trenching’ of silicate mineral surfaces by AM and EM fungi, with EM gymnosperms and angiosperms releasing calcium from basalt at twice the rate of AM gymnosperms. Our findings indicate mycorrhiza-driven weathering may have originated hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously recognized and subsequently intensified with the evolution of trees and mycorrhizas to affect the Earth''s long-term CO₂ and climate history.     

Enhanced dissolution of silicate minerals by bacteria at near-neutral pH

Previous studies have shown that various microorganisms can enhance the dissolution of silicate minerals at low (<5) or high (>8) pH. However, it was not known if they can have an effect at near-neutral pH. Almost half of 17 isolates examined in this study stimulated bytownite dissolution at near-neutral pH while in a resting state in buffered glucose. Most of the isolates found to stimulate dissolution also oxidized glucose to gluconic acid. More detailed analysis with one of these isolates suggested that this partial oxidation was the predominant, if not sole, mechanism of enhanced dissolution. Enhanced dissolution did not require direct contact between the dissolving mineral and the bacteria. Gluconate-promoted dissolution was also observed with other silicate minerals such as albite, quartz, and kaolinite.Correspondence to: D.L. Kirchman.     

Chemical weathering of soil minerals and the role of biological processes

Existing weathering models based on direct, abiotic factors, and biological factors through systemic feedbacks seem to describe the weathering rates observed in the field with good accuracy. The Swedish weathering rate model, PROFILE is the only existing model with this capacity. The PROFILE model is widely used and has been used successfully in sustainability assessments for forests and agriculture. The author has reviewed available experiments, as well as existing knowledge on chemical weathering kinetics and concludes that the physical and chemical conditions existing in forest soils do not allow any significant direct surface actions on minerals by microorganisms or tree roots. The reported tracks and holes in minerals have been mistakenly identified as being produced by roots, but this misunderstanding is caused by a lack of understanding of crystallography and chemical dissolution mechanisms. The holes and tracks have been produced by known chemical mechanisms.     

Role of microorganisms in the weathering of minerals in building stone of historical buildings

Observations on inhabitation of building stone, particularly white stone, in historical buildings in the former Soviet Union, by chemolithotrophic, photolithotrophic, and heterotrophic bacteria and green algae are summarized. The roles of these organisms in the degradation of the stone is discussed. Observations on the attack of inorganic pigments in paints used in wall decorations of such buildings are also summarized.     

A major role for nitrification in the weathering of minerals of brown acid forest soils

Experiments employing lysimeters and a comparison of soil leachates at >‐0.03 MPa and soil solutions extracted at ‐2.5 MPa showed the importance of nitrification in the weathering of minerals of brown acid forest soils (dys‐trochrept) which are formed over large areas in temperate climates.

Mineralization of litter from plants characteristic of such soils (in particular Festuca silvatica and Abies pectinata) produces large amounts of nitric acid. This bacterial nitrification is responsible for the solubilization of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and K⁺ and must be involved in the slow weathering of minerals by acidolysis and in the biogeochemical cycling of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and K⁺ in these soils. Soil solutions extracted at ‐2.5 MPa reflect much more the microbial activity than the leachates from soil and provide interesting information.     

Biochemical weathering of calcium-bearing minerals by rhizosphere micro-organisms,and its influence on calcium accumulation in trees

Summary The rhizosphere microflora of redcedar was found to have a higher percentage of calcium silicate-solubilizing rhizosphere bacteria than the rhizosphere microflora of white pine of similar age growing in the same locality under identical conditions. Though the species composition of the silicatesolubilizing microbial population varied considerably from winter to spring, the redcedar roots had more silicate-solubilizers than the white pine roots inboth seasons. Since redcedar is known to have a higher calcium content than white pine, these results indicate that calcium accumulation by redcedar and white pine is strongly influenced by the rate at which calcium is released from soil minerals by the weathering action of the trees' rhizosphere micro-organisms. A symbiotic relationship between the trees and the microflora is suggested.     

Relationship between the weathering of clay minerals and the nitrification rate: a rapid tree species effect

We compared the properties of the clay mineral fraction and the composition of soil solutions in a Fagus sylvatica coppice (native forest) and four adjacent plantations of Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus nigra, Picea abies and Quercus sessiliflora planted in 1976. The results revealed changes of clay fraction properties due to tree species effect. Clay samples from Douglas fir and pine stands differ when compared to other species. Twenty-eight years after planting, we observed the following changes: a more pronounced swelling after citrate extraction and ethylene glycol solvation, a higher CEC and a smaller poorly crystallised aluminium content. All these changes affecting the clay fraction agreed well with soil solution analyses which revealed high NO₃ ^?, H⁺ and Al concentrations under Douglas fir and pine. These changes were explained by a strong net nitrification under Douglas fir and pine stands when compared with other tree species. The higher NO₃ ^? concentrations in soil solutions should be linked to the presence, type and activity of ammonia-oxiding bacteria which are likely influenced by tree species. The production of NO₃ ^? in excess of biological demand leads to a net production of hydrogen ion and enhances the dissolution of poorly crystallised Al-minerals. Secondary Al-bearing minerals constituted the principal acid-consuming system in these soils. As a consequence, the depletion of interlayer spaces of hydroxyinterlayered minerals increases the number of sites for exchangeable cation fixation and increases CEC of the clay fraction. The dissolution of Al oxy-hydroxides explain the increase in Al concentrations of soil solutions under Douglas fir and pine stands when compared to other species. Nitrate and dissolved aluminium were conjointly leached in the soil solutions. A change in environmental conditions, like an introduction of tree species, enough modifies soil processes to induce significant changes in the soil mineralogical composition even over a period of time as short as some tens of years. Generally, mineral weathering has been considered to be very slow and unlikely to change over tens of years, resulting in few studies capable of detecting changes in mineralogy. This study appears to have detected changes in clay mineralogy during a period of 28 years after the planting of forest species. Our study represents a single location with a limited block design, but causes us to conclude that the observed changes could be widely representative. Where available, archived samples should be utilized and long-term experiments set up so that similar changes can be tested for and detected using more robust designs. The plausible hypothesis we present to explain apparent changes in clay mineralogy has strong relevance to the sustainable management of land.     

寒温带流域硅酸盐岩的风化特征——以嫩江为例

测定了嫩江水系河水主要离子组成(Ca2+、Mg2+、Na+、K+、HCO3-、SO42-、Cl-),分析了不同类型岩石风化、大气降水、人为输入对河水溶解质的相对贡献,并对整个流域以及各子流域的岩石风化速率和CO2消耗速率进行了估算.结果表明,嫩江水系河水呈弱碱性,pH平均值为7.5;阳离子以Ca2+为主,约占阳离子总量的50％;阴离子以HCO3-为主,约占阴离子总量的85％.河水中的阳离子主要来源于硅酸盐岩风化(约38％)和碳酸盐岩风化(约32％),其余来源于蒸发岩溶解(约25％)和人类活动(约5％)以及大气降水输入(＜1％).嫩江流域硅酸盐岩风化速率约为1.37 t· km-2·a-1(TDS硅酸盐岩),硅酸盐岩风化对大气CO2的消耗速率约为40.1×103 mol·km-2·a-1.     

Biological mobilization of potassium from clay minerals by ectomycorrhizal fungi and eucalypt seedling roots

Plant and Soil - Growth, proton and oxalate efflux, K&;nbsp;absorption and mineral depletion by one isolate of Cenococcum geophilum&;nbsp;Fr., by a putative isolate of Pisolithus microcarpus...     

Skeleton bones in museum indoor environments offer niches for fungi and are affected by weathering and deposition of secondary minerals

Large skeleton specimens are often featured as iconic open displays in Natural History Museums, for example, the blue whale ‘Hope’ at the Natural History Museum, London. A study on Hope's bone surface was performed to assess the biodeterioration potential of fungi. Fungi were isolated, and a fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) clone library survey was performed on dust and bone material. Mineral particles derived from bone and dust were analysed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, variable pressure scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high vacuum SEM. Results showed that bone material, although mainly mineral in nature, and therefore less susceptible than organic materials to biodeterioration phenomena in the indoor environments, offers niches for specialized fungi and is affected by unusual and yet not so well-documented mechanisms of alteration. Areas of bone surface were covered with a dense biofilm mostly composed of fungal hyphae, which produced tunnelling and extensive deposition of calcium and iron-containing secondary minerals. Airborne halophilic and xerophilic fungi including taxa grouping into Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, capable of displacing salts and overcome little water availability, were found to dominate the microbiome of the bone surface.     

Biological weathering and the long-term carbon cycle: integrating mycorrhizal evolution and function into the current paradigm

The dramatic decline in atmospheric CO₂ evidenced by proxy data during the Devonian (416.0–359.2 Ma) and the gradual decline from the Cretaceous (145.5–65.5 Ma) onwards have been linked to the spread of deeply rooted trees and the rise of angiosperms, respectively. But this paradigm overlooks the coevolution of roots with the major groups of symbiotic fungal partners that have dominated terrestrial ecosystems throughout Earth history. The colonization of land by plants was coincident with the rise of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), while the Cenozoic (c. 65.5–0 Ma) witnessed the rise of ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) that associate with both gymnosperm and angiosperm tree roots. Here, we critically review evidence for the influence of AMF and EMF on mineral weathering processes. We show that the key weathering processes underpinning the current paradigm and ascribed to plants are actually driven by the combined activities of roots and mycorrhizal fungi. Fuelled by substantial amounts of recent photosynthate transported from shoots to roots, these fungi form extensive mycelial networks which extend into soil actively foraging for nutrients by altering minerals through the acidification of the immediate root environment. EMF aggressively weather minerals through the additional mechanism of releasing low molecular weight organic chelators. Rates of biotic weathering might therefore be more usefully conceptualized as being fundamentally controlled by the biomass, surface area of contact, and capacity of roots and their mycorrhizal fungal partners to interact physically and chemically with minerals. All of these activities are ultimately controlled by rates of carbon‐energy supply from photosynthetic organisms. The weathering functions in leading carbon cycle models require experiments and field studies of evolutionary grades of plants with appropriate mycorrhizal associations. Representation of the coevolution of roots and fungi in geochemical carbon cycle models is required to further our understanding of the role of the biota in Earth's CO₂ and climate history.     

Comparative study, with photoelectron spectroscopy of the adsorption of phospholipids by 3 fibrous silicate minerals (chrysotile, crocidolite, attapulgite)

The method used in this study for preparing mineral samples has allowed us to obtain a highly reproducible surface state, which in turn means that we can better exploit the results of the XPS analysis. With high initial concentrations, the three minerals studied appeared to be covered with a bilayer of phospholipids. The greatest adsorption was obtained with initial phospholipid concentrations of 100, 150 and 300 micrograms/ml for crocidolite, chrysotile and attapulgite respectively. It would appear that these differences in surface reactivity can be related to the different levels of risk associated with the inhalation of these fibres.     

Bacterial weathering of rapakivi granite

Rapakivi granite samples were incubated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa culture solutions in order to elucidate the possible role of bacteria in rapakivi (crumbling stone) disintegration. SEM micrographs showed micromorphological alterations on the incubated rapakivi surface at 21 to 23°C for 20 days. Elevated concentrations of Na, Ca, K, Fe, and Mg were detected in the culture solutions after incubation. Elemental oxide ratios [K₂O : (Na₂O + CaO)] in culture solutions were similar to those in rapakivi ovoids, suggesting a proportional dissolution pattern of these elements.     

Laccaria bicolor S238N improves Scots pine mineral nutrition by increasing root nutrient uptake from soil minerals but does not increase mineral weathering

The role of ectomycorrhizal fungi on mineral nutrient mobilization and uptake is crucial for tree nutrition and growth in temperate forest ecosystems. By using a “mineral weathering budget” approach, this study aims to quantify the effect of the symbiosis with the ectomycorrhizal model strain Laccaria bicolor S238N on mineral weathering and tree nutrition, carrying out a column experiment with a quartz/biotite substrate. Each column was planted with one Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) non-mycorrhizal or mycorrhizal with L. bicolor, with exception of the abiotic control treatment. The columns were continuously supplied with a nutrient-poor solution. A mineral weathering budget was calculated for K and Mg. The pine shoot growth was significantly increased (73%) when plants were mycorrhizal with L. bicolor. Whatever their mycorrhizal status, pines increased mineral weathering by factors 1.5 to 2.1. No difference between non-mycorrhizal and mycorrhizal pine treatments was revealed, however, mycorrhizal pines assimilated significantly more K and Mg. This suggests that in our experimental conditions, L. bicolor S238N improved shoot growth and K and Mg assimilation in Scots pine mainly by increasing the uptake of dissolved nutrients, linked to a better exploration and exploitation of the soil by the mycorrhizal roots.     

The minerals of milk

The salt of milk constitutes a small part of milk (8-9 g.L(-1)); this fraction contains calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium for the main cations and inorganic phosphate, citrate and chloride for the main anions. In milk, these ions are more or less associated between themselves and with proteins. Depending on the type of ion, they are diffusible (cases of sodium, potassium and chloride) or partially associated with casein molecules (cases of calcium, magnesium, phosphate and citrate), to form large colloidal particles called casein micelles. Today, our knowledge and understanding concerning this fraction is relatively complete. In this review, the different models explaining (i) the nature and distribution of these minerals (especially calcium phosphate) in both fractions of milk and (ii) their behaviour in different physico-chemical conditions, are discussed.     

Agricultural acceleration of soil carbonate weathering

Soil carbonates (i.e., soil inorganic carbon or SIC) represent more than a quarter of the terrestrial carbon pool and are often considered to be relatively stable, with fluxes significant only on geologic timescales. However, given the importance of climatic water balance on SIC accumulation, we tested the hypothesis that increased soil water storage and transport resulting from cultivation may enhance dissolution of SIC, altering their local stock at decadal timescales. We compared SIC storage to 7.3 m depth in eight sites, each having paired plots of native vegetation and rain‐fed croplands, and half the sites having additional irrigated cropland plots. Rain‐fed and irrigated croplands had 328 and 730 Mg C/ha less SIC storage, respectively, compared to their native vegetation (grassland or woodland) pairs, and irrigated croplands had 402 Mg C/ha less than their rain‐fed pairs (p < .0001). SIC contents were negatively correlated with estimated groundwater recharge, suggesting that dissolution and leaching may be responsible for SIC losses observed. Under croplands, the remaining SIC had more modern radiocarbon and a δ¹³C composition that was closer to crop inputs than under native vegetation, suggesting that cultivation has led to faster turnover and incorporation of recent crop carbon into the SIC pool (p < .0001). The losses occurred just 30–100 years after land‐use changes, indicating SIC stocks that were stable for millennia can rapidly adjust to increased soil water flows. Large SIC losses (194–242 Mg C/ha) also occurred below 4.9 m deep under irrigated croplands, with SIC losses lagging behind the downward‐advancing wetting front by ~30 years, suggesting that even deep SIC were affected. These observations suggest that the vertical distribution of SIC in dry ecosystems is dynamic on decadal timescales, highlighting its potential role as a carbon sink or source to be examined in the context of land use and climate change.     

Biological leaching of sulfide minerals with the use of shake flask,aerated column,air-lift reactor,and percolation techniques

Four different experimental approaches were used to evaluate the microbiological leaching of ore material containing metal sulfides (Fe, Zn, Ni, Cu, Co) and aluminum silicates. A shake flask technique required the shortest contact time for the complete solubilization of the most readily leachable metals (Ni and Zn). Air-lift reactors and aerated column reactors required longer contact times and complete solubilization of either zinc or nickel was not achieved. The air-lift reactor approach was somewhat more effective than the aerated slurry technique. A percolation system was the least effective and yielded the lowest recoveries. Shake flasks (easily autoclavable) offered the advantage of comparison of the microbiological and solely chemical leaching. Aseptic conditions could not be maintained with the air-lift and aerated column reactors because of contamination via aerosol formation. In a relative scale the leaching patterns were similar in that the precipitation of Fe(III) occurred regardless of the technique; zinc and nickel sulfides were solubilized more quantitatively than those of copper and cobalt; aluminum concentrations, although high, indicated low leaching yields relative to aluminum silicates in the ore material; and the pH reached similar final values in the presence of bacteria.