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Rock-eating fungi

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Abstract

Weatherable minerals under many European coniferous forests contain a network of numerous tubular pores, formed by organic acids exuded by fungi. We believe that symbiotic mycorrhizal hyphae translocate dissolved minerals from the isolated micropores directly to their host plants, bypassing competition for nutrient uptake by other organisms. The discovery of this pathway challenges current ideas about nutrient uptake from the bulk soil solution and criteria for critical loads of acidic deposition on forests.

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Figure 1: Thin-section micrograph in cross-polarized visible light with 550-nm retardation (gypsum plate).
Figure 2

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Author notes

  1. U. Lundström & P. A. W. van Hees

    Present address: Department of Chemistry and Process Technology, Mid Sweden University, S-851 71, Sundsvall, Sweden

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Soil Science and Geology, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, POB 37 6700 AA, The Netherlands

    A. G. Jongmans & N. van Breemen

  2. Department of Natural Sciences, University of Karlstad, Torsby, Sweden

    U. Lundström & P. A. W. van Hees

  3. Department of Forest Mycology and Pathology, SLU, Box 7026, Uppsala, S-75007, Sweden

    R. D. Finlay, M. Srinivasan & T. Unestam

  4. Department of Forest Ecology, SLU, UmeÅ, S-90183, Sweden

    R. Giesler

  5. Department of Forest Soils, SLU, Box 7001, Uppsala, S-75007, Sweden

    P.-A. Melkerud & M. Olsson

Authors
  1. A. G. Jongmans
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  2. N. van Breemen
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  3. U. Lundström
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  4. P. A. W. van Hees
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  5. R. D. Finlay
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  6. M. Srinivasan
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  7. T. Unestam
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  8. R. Giesler
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  9. P.-A. Melkerud
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  10. M. Olsson
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Jongmans, A., van Breemen, N., Lundström, U. et al. Rock-eating fungi. Nature 389, 682–683 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/39493

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