DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Saprotrophic Fungus Induces Microscale Mineral Weathering to Source Potassium in a Carbon-Limited Environment

Journal Article · · Minerals
 [1];  [2];  [2]
  1. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL)
  2. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL)

Plants rely on potassium for many critical biological processes, but most soils are potassium limited. Moving potassium from the inaccessible, mineral-bound pool to a more bioavailable form is crucial for sustainably increasing local potassium concentrations for plant growth and health. Here, we use a synthetic soil habitat (mineral doped micromodels) to study and directly visualize how the saprotrophic fungus, Fusarium sp. DS 682, weathers K-rich soil minerals. After 30 days of fungal growth, both montmorillonite and illite (secondary clays) had formed as surface coatings on primary K-feldspar, biotite, and kaolinite grains. The distribution of montmorillonite differed depending on the proximity to a carbon source, where montmorillonite was found to be associated with K-feldspar closer to the carbon (C) source, which the fungus was inoculated on, but associated with biotite at greater distances from the C source. The distribution of secondary clays is likely due to a change in the type of fungal exuded organic acids; from citric to tartaric acid dominated production with increasing distance from the C source. Thus, the main control on the ability of Fusarium sp. DS 682 to weather K-feldspar is proximity to a C source to produce citric acid via the TCA cycle.

Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Award DOI(s):
https://doi.org/10.46936/intm.proj.2021.60094/60001433
Awarding Organization: DOE-BER

Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515; P30GM133894; AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1972480
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2483887
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-190853; TRN: US2313805
Journal Information:
Minerals, Vol. 13, Issue 5; ISSN 2075-163X
Publisher:
MDPICopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (67)

Perspectives of potassium solubilizing microbes in sustainable food production system: A review journal January 2019
ATHENA , ARTEMIS , HEPHAESTUS : data analysis for X-ray absorption spectroscopy using IFEFFIT journal June 2005
Reviews and syntheses: Biological weathering and its consequences at different spatial levels – from nanoscale to global scale journal March 2020
Potassium and Calcium K ‐Edge XANES in Chemical Compounds and Minerals: Implications for Geological Phase Identification journal August 2020
Quantitative local structure determination in mica crystals: ab initio simulations of polarization XANES at the potassium K -edge journal March 2011
Forms of potassium in coal and its combustion products journal March 1986
rates of feldspar dissolution at pH 3–7 with 0–8 m M oxalic acid journal October 1996
Different mechanisms driving the preferential adsorption of dissolved organic matter by goethite and montmorillonite journal December 2021
Aspergillus aculeatus enhances potassium uptake and photosynthetic characteristics in perennial ryegrass by increasing potassium availability journal July 2021
Biotite and microcline as potassium sources in ectomycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal Pinus sylvestris seedlings journal June 1999
Interlayer potassium and its neighboring atoms in micas: Crystal-chemical modeling and XANES spectroscopy journal May 2008
Clay Minerals as the key to the Sequestration of Carbon in Soils journal April 2020
X-ray absorption study of the potassium coordination environment in glasses from the NaAlSi3O8-KAlSi3O8 binary journal September 1987
Soil chemical extractions can alter potassium coordination in agricultural soils: A combined wet chemical and X-ray absorption spectroscopic approach journal September 2022
Carbon availability triggers fungal nitrogen uptake and transport in arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis journal January 2012
Chemical kinetics of water-rock interactions journal June 1984
Co-inoculation of potassium solubilizing and nitrogen fixing bacteria on solubilization of waste mica and their effect on growth promotion and nutrient acquisition by a forage crop journal April 2010
Dissolution of kaolinite induced by citric, oxalic, and malic acids journal October 2005
Operando potassium K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy: investigating potassium catalysts during soot oxidation journal January 2020
Isolation and identification of potassium-solubilizing bacteria from tobacco rhizospheric soil and their effect on tobacco plants journal October 2014
In-situ dissolution rates of silicate minerals and associated bacterial communities in the critical zone (Strengbach catchment, France) journal March 2019
Draft Genome Sequence of Fusarium sp. Strain DS 682, a Novel Fungal Isolate from the Grass Rhizosphere journal January 2021
Microbial release of potassium from K-bearing minerals by thermophilic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus journal January 2008
K-Extraction from Muscovite by the Isolated Fungi journal April 2015
SIXPack a Graphical User Interface for XAS Analysis Using IFEFFIT journal January 2005
Ectomycorrhizal weathering of the soil minerals muscovite and hornblende journal September 2006
Dissolution of Feldspars by Low-Molecular-Weight Aliphatic and Aromatic Acids journal February 1986
A XANES investigation of the network-modifier cations environment before and after the Na + /K + ion-exchange in silicate glasses journal January 2018
The effect of organic acids on plagioclase dissolution rates and stoichiometry journal June 1993
Two Phosphate- and Potassium-solubilizing Bacteria Isolated from Tianmu Mountain, Zhejiang, China journal May 2006
Effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization and two levels of compost supply on nutrient uptake and flowering of pelargonium plants journal February 2007
Facultative symbiosis with a saprotrophic soil fungus promotes potassium uptake in American sweetgum trees journal May 2021
Angular dependence of potassium K-edge XANES spectra of trioctahedral micas: Significance for the determination of the local structure and electronic behavior of the interlayer site journal July 2006
Soil Type Affects Organic Acid Production and Phosphorus Solubilization Efficiency Mediated by Several Native Fungal Strains from Mexico journal September 2020
Specificity of low molecular weight organic acids on the release of elements from lizardite during fungal weathering journal July 2019
The promotion effect of isolated potassium atoms with hybridized orbitals in catalytic oxidation journal January 2015
A review of feldspar alteration and its geological significance in sedimentary basins: From shallow aquifers to deep hydrocarbon reservoirs journal April 2019
High Resolution Electron Microscopy of Feldspar Weathering journal January 1980
Climate Change and Food Systems journal November 2012
Fungal Production of Citric and Oxalic Acid: Importance in Metal Speciation, Physiology and Biogeochemical Processes book January 1999
K-Edge X-Ray Absorption Spectra from Potassium Compounds journal December 1985
Oxalate secretion by ectomycorrhizal Paxillus involutus is mineral-specific and controls calcium weathering from minerals journal July 2015
Fungal strategies of potassium extraction from silicates of different resistance as manifested in differential weathering and gene expression journal January 2022
Potassium isotopic fractionation in a humid and an arid soil–plant system in Hawai‘i journal October 2021
A study of potassium dynamics and mineralogy in soils from subtropical Brazilian lowlands journal September 2011
A coupled microscopy approach to assess the nano-landscape of weathering journal March 2019
Solubilization of potassium-bearing minerals by a wild-type strain of Bacillus edaphicus and its mutants and increased potassium uptake by wheat journal January 2006
The role of mycorrhizal associations in plant potassium nutrition journal July 2014
Managing Potassium for Organic Crop Production journal January 2007
Innovation in Resourcing Geological Materials as Crop Nutrients journal June 2017
A Mineral-Doped Micromodel Platform Demonstrates Fungal Bridging of Carbon Hot Spots and Hyphal Transport of Mineral-Derived Nutrients journal December 2022
Weathering of the primary rock-forming minerals: processes, products and rates journal September 2004
Sustainable carbon sources for microbial organic acid production with filamentous fungi journal October 2017
Mobilization and fractionation of rare earth elements during experimental bio-weathering of granites journal February 2023
Prospects and challenges in utilization of indigenous rocks and minerals as source of potassium in farming journal September 2019
In vitro weathering of phlogopite by ectomycorrhizal fungi journal February 1996
Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis: XANES Spectra of Potassium in Promoted Precipitated Iron Catalysts as a Function of Time On-stream journal June 2017
In vitro weathering of phlogopite by ectomycorrhizal fungi journal December 1995
X-ray photon-in/photon-out methods for chemical imaging journal June 2010
Plant- or microbial-derived? A review on the molecular composition of stabilized soil organic matter journal May 2021
Organic Acids as Agents of Chemical Weathering of Silicate Minerals journal October 1972
Potassium coordination in trioctahedral micas investigated by K-edge XANES spectroscopy journal November 2005
K-Edge Absorption Spectra of Ionic Potassium and ItsZ+1Analogy journal March 1980
Scale matters? Exploring the effect of scale on fungal–mineral interactions journal November 2009
Research on potassium in agriculture: needs and prospects journal August 2010
Growth promotion and increased potassium uptake of cotton and rape by a potassium releasing strain of Bacillus edaphicus journal October 2005
Aqueous alteration of potassium-bearing aluminosilicate minerals: from mechanism to processing journal January 2015