Ecosystem-bedrock interaction changes nutrient compartmentalization during early oxidative weathering.

ABSTRACT: Ecosystem-bedrock interactions power the biogeochemical cycles of Earth's shallow crust, supporting life, stimulating substrate transformation, and spurring evolutionary innovation. While oxidative processes have dominated half of terrestrial history, the relative contribution of the biosphere and its chemical fingerprints on Earth's developing regolith are still poorly constrained. Here, we report results from a two-year incipient weathering experiment. We found that the mass release and compartmentalization of major elements during weathering of granite, rhyolite, schist and basalt was rock-specific and regulated by ecosystem components. A tight interplay between physiological needs of different biota, mineral dissolution rates, and substrate nutrient availability resulted in intricate e

SUBMITTER: Zaharescu DG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6800431 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature