Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2180627 | Fungal Biology Reviews | 2009 | 6 Pages |
Oxalate is considered to be an important fungal weathering agent, but measured bulk soil concentrations in boreal forest soils are too low to expect a significant effect on mineral dissolution. On the other hand, it is expected that oxalate is heterogeneously distributed in the soil, with localized higher concentrations. Here, a model is presented to explore the effects of an oxalate distribution on feldspar dissolution dynamics. First, fungal distribution was studied in a boreal podzol, using fluorescent techniques. Fungi selectively colonized specific mineral species in the soil, with fungal cover on plagioclase > K-feldspar > quartz. Based on the modelling results, oxalate will not have any major effect on feldspar weathering, unless oxalate stays within a few microns of the surface. The results can be extrapolated to other fungal weathering agents, including protons