TY - JOUR

T1 - Lichens Bite the Dust

T2 - A Bioweathering Scenario in the Atacama Desert

AU - Jung, Patrick

AU - Baumann, Karen

AU - Emrich, Dina

AU - Springer, Armin

AU - Felde, Vincent J.M.N.L.

AU - Dultz, Stefan

AU - Baum, Christel

AU - Frank, Marcus

AU - Büdel, Burkhard

AU - Leinweber, Peter

N1 - Funding Information: This work was funded by the German Research Foundation Priority Program 1803 “EarthShape: Earth Surface Shaping by Biota” in the frame of the project CRUSTWEATHERING ( BU666/19-1 , LE903/14-1 ). Some of the research was performed within the scope of the Leibniz ScienceCampus “Phosphorus Research Rostock”. The authors thank Prof. Stephan Peth for giving them access to the tomography lab of the University of Kassel . The authors would like to thank B. Balz and E. Heilmann (Soil Science, University of Rostock) for element extraction and ICP-OES analyses, Nora Vitow for enzyme activity analyses (Soil Science, University of Rostock), as well as the Chilean National Park Service (CONAF) for providing access to the sample locations and on-site support of the research. P.J. thanks the EFRE project PHOTOPROMA for funding.

PY - 2020/11/20

Y1 - 2020/11/20

N2 - Bioweathering mediated by microorganisms plays a significant role in biogeochemical cycles on global scales over geological timescales. Single processes induced by specific taxa have been described but could rarely be demonstrated for complex communities that dominate whole landscapes. The recently discovered grit crust of the coastal Atacama Desert, which is a transitional community between a cryptogamic ground cover and a rock-bound lithic assemblage, offers the unique chance to elucidate various bioweathering processes that occur simultaneously. Here, we present a bioweathering scenario of this biocenosis including processes such as penetration of the lithomatrix, microbial responses to wet-dry cycles, alkalinolysis, enzyme activity, and mineral re-localization. Frequently occurring fog, for example, led to a volume increase of microorganisms and the lithomatrix. This, together with pH shifts and dust accumulation, consequently results in biophysical breakdown and the formation of a terrestrial protopedon, an initial stage of pedogenesis fueled by the grit crust.

AB - Bioweathering mediated by microorganisms plays a significant role in biogeochemical cycles on global scales over geological timescales. Single processes induced by specific taxa have been described but could rarely be demonstrated for complex communities that dominate whole landscapes. The recently discovered grit crust of the coastal Atacama Desert, which is a transitional community between a cryptogamic ground cover and a rock-bound lithic assemblage, offers the unique chance to elucidate various bioweathering processes that occur simultaneously. Here, we present a bioweathering scenario of this biocenosis including processes such as penetration of the lithomatrix, microbial responses to wet-dry cycles, alkalinolysis, enzyme activity, and mineral re-localization. Frequently occurring fog, for example, led to a volume increase of microorganisms and the lithomatrix. This, together with pH shifts and dust accumulation, consequently results in biophysical breakdown and the formation of a terrestrial protopedon, an initial stage of pedogenesis fueled by the grit crust.

KW - Biogeoscience

KW - Earth sciences

KW - Earth-Surface Processes

KW - Geomicrobiology

KW - Weathering

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85092897709&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101647

DO - 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101647

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85092897709

VL - 23

JO - iScience

JF - iScience

IS - 11

M1 - 101647

ER -