Earthworms' Transcriptome and Gut Microbiota Response to Mineral Weathering

1 Introduction Earthworms are an important component of soil macrofauna,dominating the biomass of soil invertebrates(Kodama et al.,2014;Plum and Filser,2005).They are known as the"engineers of ecosystem",and have a

Molecular signatures of soil-derived dissolved organic matter constrained by mineral weathering

Dissolved organic matter(DOM)in soils drives biogeochemical cycling and soil functions in different directions depending on its molecular signature.Notably,there is a distinct paucity of information concerning how the molecular signatures of soil DOM vary with different degrees of weathering across wide geographic scales.Herein,we resolved the DOM molecular signatures from 22 diverse Chinese reference soils and linked them with soil organic matter and weathering-related mineralogical properties.The mixed-effects models revealed that the yields of DOM were determined by soil organic carbon content,whereas the molecular signature of DOM was primarily constrained by the weathering-related dimension.The soil weathering index showed a positive effect on the lability and a negative effect on the aromaticity of DOM.Specifically,DOM in highly weathered acidic soils featured more amino sugars,carbohydrates,and aliphatics,as well as less O-rich polyphenols and condensed aromatics,thereby conferring a higher DOM biolability and lower DOM aromaticity.This study highlights the dominance of the weathering-related dimension in constraining the molecular signatures and potential functions of DOM in soils across a wide geographic scale.

Ecological effects of the microbial weathering of silicate minerals

1 Introduction Global climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing humankind in the 21st century.Studying,and utilising,the carbon sink caused by the weathering of silicate minerals has been a key research focus for

A preliminary study on ore-forming environments of Xianglushan-type iron deposit and the weathering mineralization of Emeishan basalt in Guizhou Province, China

Xianglushan-type iron deposits are one of the new types of iron deposits found in the Weining Area of Western Guizhou. The iron-bearing rock system is a paleo-weathered crustal sedimentary(or accumulating) stratum between the top of the Middle-Late Permian Emeishan basalt formation and the Late Permian Xuanwei formation. Iron ore is hosted in the Lower-Middle part of the rock system. In terms of the genesis of mineral deposit, this type of deposit should be a basalt paleo-weathering crustal redeposit type, very different from marine sedimentary iron deposits or continental weathering crust iron deposits. Based on field work and the analytical results of XRD Powder Diffraction, Electron Probe, Scanner Electron Microscope, etc., the geological setting of the ore-forming processes and the deposit features are illustrated in this paper. The ore-forming environment of the deposit and the Emeishan basalt weathering mineralization are also discussed in order to enhance the knowledge of the universality and diversity of mineralization of the Emeishan Large Igneous Province(ELIP), which may be a considerable reference to further research for ELIP metallogenic theories, and geological research for iron deposits in the paleo-weathering crust areas of the Emeishan basalt,Southwestern, China.

Mineralogical Characteristics of Yellow- Red Soils Derived from Granite

Mineral constituents and their weathering in yellow-red soils derived from granite in middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze R iver were studied. Light minerals in fractions greater than silt contained over 80% quartz and feldspar, and heavy ones contained more than 60% various iron minerals and about 30% mica and hornblende. Kaolinite was the main clay mineral, the content of which was about 300 -400 g/ kg. Quartz was weathered very weakly, Ca-feldspar was weathered over 65%, and about 25% of Na-feldspar was weathered. The vermiculitisation of mica was relativly obvious, > 50% of mica being weathered to vermiculite. Weatherable minerals were also obviously weathered, the weathering being about 60%. Soil vermiculite was evolved through the process of mica→hydromica→vermiculite-chlorite→vermiculite, which was closely related to leaching situation and oxidic condition.

A Study of the Microbial Community at the Interface between Granite Bedrock and Soil Using a Culture-Independent and Culture-Dependent Approach

The dissolution of minerals plays an important role in the formation of soils and sediments. In nutrient limiting soils, minerals constitute a major reservoir of bio-essential cations. Of particular interest is granite as it is the major rock type of the continental land mass. Although certain bacteria have been shown to enhance weathering of granite-forming minerals, little is known about the dissolution of granite, at the whole rock scale, and the microbial community involved. In this study, both culture-independent and culture-dependent approaches were used to study the bacterial community at the interface between granite bedrock and nutrient limiting soil in Dartmoor National Park, United Kingdom. High throughput sequencing demonstrated that over 70% of the bacterial population consisted of the bacterial classes Bacilli, Beta-proteobacteria and Gamma-proteo-bacteria. Bacteria belonging to the genera Serratia, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Paenibacillus, Chromo-bacterium and Burkholderia were isolated from the sample site. All of the isolates were able to grow in a minimal growth medium, which contained glucose and ammonium chloride, with granite as the sole source of bio-essential elements. Sixty six percent of the isolates significantly enhanced basalt dissolution (p < 0.05). Dissolution of Si, K, Ca and Mg correlated with production of oxalic acid and acidification. The results of this study suggest that microorganisms in nutrient limiting soils can enhance the rate of granite dissolution, which is an important part of the biogeochemical cycle.

Stoichiometry of base cations and silicon during weathering of a deep soil profile derived from granite

Evaluation of the stoichiometry of base cations(BCs,including K^(+),Na^(+),Ca^(2+),and Mg^(2+))and silicon(Si)(BCs:Si)during soil mineral weathering is essential to accurately quantify soil acidification rates.The aim of this study was to explore the differences and influencing factors of BCs:Si values of different soil genetic horizons in a deep soil profile derived from granite with different extents of mineral weathering.Soil type was typic acidi-udic Argosol.Soil samples were collected from Guangzhou,China,which is located in a subtropical region.To ensure that the BCs and Si originated from the mineral weathering process,soil exchangeable BCs were washed with an elution treatment.The BCs:Si values during weathering were obtained through a simulated acid rain leaching experiment using the batch method.Results showed that soil physical,chemical,and mineralogical properties varied from the surface horizon to saprolite in the soil profile.The BCs:Si values of soil genetic horizons during weathering were 0.3–3.7.The BCs:Si value was 1.7 in the surface horizon(A),1.1–3.7 in the argillic horizon(Bt),and 0.3–0.4 in the cambic(Bw)and transition(BC)horizons,as well as in horizon C(saprolite).The general pattern of BCs:Si values in the different horizons was as follows:Bt>A>Bw,BC,and C.Although BCs:Si values were influenced by weathering intensity,they did not correlate with the chemical index of alteration(CIA).The release amounts of Si and BCs are the joined impact of soil mineral composition and physical and chemical properties.A comprehensive analysis showed that the BCs:Si values of the soil derived from granite in this study were a combined result of the following factors:soil clay,feldspar,kaolinite,organic matter,pH,and CIA.The main controlling factors of BCs:Si in soils of different parent material types require extensive research.The wide variance of BCs:Si values in the deep soil profile indicated that H+consumed by soil mineral weathering was very dissimilar in the soils with different weathering intensities derived from the same parent material.Therefore,the estimation of the soil acidification rate based on H+biogeochemistry should consider the specific BCs:Si value.

Iron Mobilization and Mineralogical Alterations Induced by Iron-Deficient Cucumber Plants (Cucumis sativus L.) in a Calcareous Soil

Dicotyledons cope with ion(Fe) shortage by releasing low-molecular-weight organic compounds into the rhizosphere to mobilize Fe through reduction and complexation mechanisms. The effects induced by these root exudates on soil mineralogy and the connections between Fe mobilization and mineral weathering processes have not been completely clarified. In a batch experiment, we tested two different kinds of organic compounds commonly exuded by Fe-deficient plants, i.e., three organic acids(citrate, malate, and oxalate)and three flavonoids(rutin, quercetin, and genistein), alone or in combination, for their ability to mobilize Fe from a calcareous soil and modify its mineralogy. The effect of root exudates on soil mineralogy was assessed in vivo by cultivating Fe-deficient and Fe-sufficient cucumber plants(Cucumis sativus L.) in a RHIZOtest device. Mineralogical analyses were performed by X-ray powder diffraction. The batch experiment showed that citrate and, particularly, rutin(alone or combined with organic acids or genistein)promoted Fe mobilization from the soil. The combinations of rutin and organic acids modified the soil mineralogy by dissolving the amorphous fractions and promoting the formation of illite. These mineralogical alterations were significantly correlated with the amount of Fe mobilized from the soil. The RHIZOtest experiment revealed a drastic dissolution of amorphous components in the rhizosphere soil of Fe-deficient plants, possibly caused by the intense release of phenolics, amino acids, and organic acids, but without any formation of illite. Both batch and RHIZOtest experiments proved that exudates released by cucumber under Fe deficiency concurred to the rapid modification(on a day-scale) of the mineralogy of a calcareous soil.

Biological weathering of phlogopite during enriched vermicomposting

As the dominant macrofauna in many soils,earthworms play a significant role in mineral weathering and nutrient release from mineral structures into available forms for root uptake.Phlogopite is a trioctahedral micaceous mineral that can be weathered to other minerals through release of its interlayer potassium(K).In this study,we investigated the effect of earthworm activities and associated microbial communities on phlogopite weathering during the production of phlogopite-enriched vermicompost with different quantities of phlogopite added.An experiment was run under laboratory conditions using three levels of phlogopite(0,20%and 40%by weight)in triplicates.Each Petri dish contained 20 g of a mixture of cow manure and phlogopite,and vermicomposting process was performed by inoculation of eight Eisenia foetida earthworms.Changes in clay mineralogy and C/N ratio in each dish were assessed at days 0,45,90,135,and 180 during vermicomposting.The results indicated that phlogopite was partially weathered to vermiculite and interstratified mica-vermiculite during the vermicomposting process.The rate of weathering was higher during the early stages of vermicomposting(the first 90 d).The weathering of phlogopite was influenced considerably by the activity of earthworms and associated microbial communities during the organic matter transformation process.At the early stages of the process,the weathering rate for different levels of phlogopite was not significantly different,but over time it accelerated steadily,and the difference increased.

Swelling of clay minerals in ammonium leaching of weathered crust elution-deposited rare earth ores

The effect of hydrated radius, cation valence, pH and solution concentration on the zeta potential of clay minerals was investigated, and the relation between zeta potential of clay minerals and swelling was discussed in different leaching agents as well. The results show that the zeta potential of clay minerals decreases with the hydrated ionic radius increasing. It could be seen that the zeta potential of the clay minerals in AICl3 solution is positive,whereas that in NH4C1, KCl and MgCl2 solution is negative. And the zeta potential of clay minerals increases with the cation valence increasing. Moreover, the zeta potential of clay minerals decreases with the solution pH increasing,whereas that increases with the solution concentration increasing in different ammonium solutions. In addition,the swelling of clay minerals decreases while the zeta potential of clay minerals increasing in different ammonium solutions. The ability of compound ammonium to inhibit the swelling of clay minerals is lower than that of single ammonium solution.