Erosion, on the down low

摘要

Scientists have for the first time observed how the tiny fungi that live on plant roots physically erode rocks and set the stage for chemical breakdown. Steeve Bonneville of the University of Leeds in England and his colleagues set up a lab test to study the effects of the fungi Paxillus involutes on biotite, a potassium-rich mineral found in granite and other rock types. In the test, reported in the July Geology, the researchers planted a pine seedling with fungi-covered roots in a dry nutrient-poor soil free of other microorganisms (right).