Abstract
Bioweathering in arid lands is a complex set of processes comprising a wide variety of organisms, all contributing to soil formation. Weathering starts with outcrop fragmentation by physical forces, later thermal stress and salts produce propagation of cracks that allow colonization by lithobiontic communities. Growth and development of primary colonizers produce pools of C and N available for further establishment of non-vascular plants when moisture is available. Furthermore, plants capable of living in crevices establish interactions with microbial communities and together optimize rock resources (organic or inorganic), enhance nutrient cycling, and accelerate soil development. Cacti and succulents are frequent rock colonizers in hot deserts. These plants exhibit numerous adaptations that enable them to survive in deserts including CAM biochemistry, physiological adaptations, and interactions with their associated microbiome. The associated microbiomes include plant growth-promoting microorganisms that increase essential nutrient supply (N and P) to the plants. We propose a conceptual model of weathering where microbial associates induce higher root exudation of organic acids in succulents. This model has to be experimentally tested; however, it involves several challenges, such as: (a) the difficulty of collecting exudates from the field or emulating experimental conditions similar to nature, and (b) selecting appropriate temporal scales to detect measurable changes since most cacti exhibit remarkably slow growth rates. Therefore, innovative approaches are in order.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abrahão A, Lambers H, Sawaya ACHF, Mazzafera P, Oliveira RS (2014) Convergence of a specialized root trait in plants from nutrient-impoverished soils: phosphorus-acquisition strategy in a nonmycorrhizal cactus. Oecologia 176:345–355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-3033-4
Ahmed MA, Banfield CC, Sanaullah M, Gunina A, Dippold MA (2018) Utilisation of mucilage C by microbial communities under drought. Biol Fertil Soils 54:83–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-017-1237-6
Amit R, Gerson R, Yaalon DH (1993) Stages and rate of the gravel shattering process by salts in desert Reg soils. Geoderma 57:295–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7061(93)90011-9
Anderson SP (2019) Breaking it down: mechanical processes in the weathering engine. Elements 15:247–252. https://doi.org/10.2138/gselements.15.4.247
Anderson CR, James RE, Fru EC, Kennedy CB, Pedersen K (2006) In situ ecological development of a bacteriogenic iron oxide-producing microbial community from a subsurface granitic rock environment. Geobiology 4:29–42. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4669.2006.00066.x
Andrews MG, Taylor LL (2019) Combating climate change through enhanced weathering of agricultural soils. Elements 15:253–258. https://doi.org/10.2138/gselements.15.4.253
Baraniya D, Nannipieri P, Kublik S, Vestergaard G, Schloter M, Schöler A (2018) The impact of the diurnal cycle on the microbial transcriptome in the rhizosphere of barley. Microb Ecol 75:830–833. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-017-1101-0
Bashan Y, Holguin G (1998) Proposal for the division of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria into two classifications: biocontrol-PGPB (plant growth-promoting Bacteria) and PGPB. Soil Biol Biochem 30:1225–1228. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-0717(97)00187-9
Bashan Y, Li CY, Lebsky VK, Moreno M, de Bashan LE (2002) Primary colonization of volcanic rocks by plants in arid Baja California, Mexico. Plant Biol 4:392–402. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2002-32337
Bashan Y, Vierheilig H, Salazar BG, de Bashan LE (2006) Primary colonization and breakdown of igneous rocks by endemic, succulent elephant trees (Pachycormus discolor) of the deserts in Baja California, Mexico. Naturwissenschaften 93:344–347. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-006-0111-4
Bashan Y, Puente ME, de Bashan LE, Hernandez JP (2008) Environmental uses of plant growth-promoting bacteria. In: Barka EA, Clement C (eds) Plant-microbe interactions. Trivandrum, Kerala, pp 69–93
Beerling DJ, Butterfield NJ (2012) Plants and animals as geobiological agents. In: Knoll AH, Canfield DE, Konhauser KO (eds) Fundamentals of Geobiology. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Hoboken, New Jersey, pp 188–204. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118280874.ch11
Berendsen RL, Vismans G, Yu K, Song Y, de Jonge R, Burgman WP, Burmolle M, Herschend J, Bakker PAHM, CMJ P (2018) Disease-induced assemblage of a plant-beneficial bacterial consortium. ISME J 12:1496–1507
Borin S, Ventura S, Tambone F, Mapelli F, Schubotz F, Brusetti L, Scaglia B, D'Acqui LP, Solheim B, Turicchia S, Marasco R, Hinrichs KU, Baldi F, Adani F, Daffonchio D (2010) Rock weathering creates oases of life in a High Arctic desert. Environ Microbiol 12:293–303
Brantley SL (2003) Reaction kinetics of primary rock-forming minerals under ambient conditions. In: Drever JI (Ed) Treatise on geochemistry, Vol 5, Elsevier-Pergamon, Oxford, pp 73–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-08-043751-6/05075-1
Brantley SL, Lebedeva M, Hausrath EM (2012) A geobiological view of weathering and erosion. In: Knoll AH, Canfield DE, Konhauser KO (eds) Fundamentals of geobiology. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Oxford, pp 205–227. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118280874.ch12
Büdel B, Weber B, Kühl M, Pfanz H, Sültemeyer D, Wessels D (2004) Reshaping of sandstone surfaces by cryptoendolithic cyanobacteria: bioalkalisation causes chemical weathering in arid landscapes. Geobiology 2:261–268. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4677.2004.00040.x
Calvaruso C, Turpault MP, Frey-Klett P (2006) Root-associated bacteria contribute to mineral weathering and to mineral nutrition in trees: a budgeting analysis. Appl Environ Microbiol 72:1258–1266. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.72.2.1258-1266.2006
Canarini A, Kaiser C, Merchant A, Richter A, Wanek W (2019) Root exudation of primary metabolites: mechanisms and their roles in plant responses to environmental stimuli. Front Plant Sci 10:157. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00157
Carrillo-Garcia A, Leon de la Luz JL, Bashan Y, Bethlenfalvay GJ (1999) Nurse plants, mycorrhizae, and plant establishment in a disturbed area of the Sonoran Desert. Restor Ecol 7:321–335. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1526-100X.1999.72027.x
Chen J, Blume HP, Beyer L (2000) Weathering of rocks induced by lichen colonization - a review. Catena 39:121–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0341-8162(99)00085-5
Dakora FD, Phillips DA (2002) Root exudates as mediators of mineral acquisition in low-nutrient environments. Plant Soil 245:35–47. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020809400075
Delgado-Fernández M, Garcillán PP, Ezcurra E (2016) On the age and growth rate of giant cacti: radiocarbon dating of the spines of cardon (Pachycereus pringlei). Radiocarbon 58:479–490. https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2016.25
DiRuggiero J, Wierzchos J, Robinson CK, Souterre T, Ravel J, Artieda O, Souza-Egipsy V, Ascaso C (2013) Microbial colonisation of chasmoendolithic habitats in the hyper-arid zone of the Atacama Desert. Biogeosciences 10:2439–2450. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2439-2013
Dolui G, Chatterjee S, Das Chatterjee N (2016) Geophysical and geochemical alteration of rocks in granitic profiles during intense weathering in southern Purulia district, West Bengal, India. Model Earth Syst Environ 2:132–122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-016-0188-5
Earle S (2015) Weathering and soil. In: Earle S (Ed) Physical geology, Victoria, pp 117–144. https://opentextbc.ca/geology/
Escudero C, Vera M, Oggerin M, Amils R (2018) Active microbial biofilms in deep poor porous continental subsurface rocks. Sci Rep 8:1538. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-19903-z
Eppes MC, Keanini R (2017) Mechanical weathering and rock erosion by climate dependent subcritical cracking. Rev Geophys 55:470–508. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017RG000557
Field J, Little D (2009) Regolith and biota. In: Scott KM, Pain CF (eds) Regolith science. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp 175–218
Flemming HC, Wingender J (2010) The biofilm matrix. Nat Rev Microbiol 8:623–633. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2415
Flemming HC, Wingender J, Szewzyk U, Steinberg P, Rice SA, Kjelleberg S (2016) Biofilms: an emergent form of bacterial life. Nat Rev Microbiol 14:563–575. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro.2016.94
Fonseca-García C, Coleman-Derr D, Garrido E, Visel A, Tringe SG, Partida-Martínez LP (2016) The cacti microbiome: interplay between habitat-filtering and host-specificity. Front Microbiol 7:150. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00150
Friedmann EI (1980) Endolithic microbial life in hot and cold deserts. Orig Life Evol Biosph 10:223–235. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00928400
Frings PJ, Buss HL (2019) The central role of weathering in the geosciences. Elements 15:229–234. https://doi.org/10.2138/gselements.15.4.229
Fujii K (2014) Soil acidification and adaptations of plants and microorganisms in Bornean tropical forests. Ecol Res 29:371–381. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-014-1144-3
Gabler RE, Petersen JF, Trapasso LM, Sack D (2009) Weathering and mass wasting. In: Gabler RE, Petersen JF, Trapasso LM, Sack D (eds) Physical geography, 9th edn. Cole, Belmont, CA, pp 411–437
Gargallo-Garriga A, Preece C, Sardans J, Oravec M, Urban O, Peñuelas J (2018) Root exudate metabolomes change under drought and show limited capacity for recovery. Sci Rep 8:12696. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-30150-0
Garvie LAJ, Knauth LP, Bungartz F, Klonowski S, Nash TH (2008) Life in extreme environments: survival strategy of the endolithic desert lichen Verrucaria rubrocincta. Naturwissenschaften 95:705–712. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-008-0373-0
Gorbushina AA (2007) Life on the rocks. Environ Microbiol 9:1613–1631. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2007.01301.x
Goreau TJ, Larson RW, Campe J (2014) Geotherapy: innovative methods of soil fertility restoration, carbon sequestration and reversing CO2 increase. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 630 pp
Gregory P (2006) Roots, rhizosphere and soil: the route to a better understanding of soil science? Eur J Soil Sci 57:2–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.2005.00778.x
Griffiths H, Males J (2017) Succulents plants. Curr Biol 27:R890–R896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.03.021
Hall K, Guglielmin M, Strini A (2008) Weathering of granite in Antarctica: I. Light penetration into rock and implications for rock weathering and endolithic communities. Earth Surf Process Landforms 33:295–307. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1618
Hartmann A, Rothballer M, Schmid M (2008) Lorenz Hiltner, a pioneer in rhizosphere microbial ecology and soil bacteriology research. Plant Soil 312:7–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9514-z
Hernández-Hernández T, Brown JW, Schlumpberger BO, Eguiarte LE, Magallón S (2014) Beyond aridification: multiple explanations for the elevated diversification of cacti in the New World Succulent Biome. New Phytol 202:1382–1397. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.12752
Houlton BZ, Morford SL, Dahlgren RA (2018) Convergent evidence for widespread rock nitrogen sources in Earth’s surface environment. Science 360:58–62. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan4399
Huang B, North GB, Nobel PS (1993) Soil sheaths, photosynthate distribution to roots, and rhizosphere water relations for Opuntia ficus-indica. Int J Plant Sci 154:425–431. https://doi.org/10.1086/297125
Igamberdiev AU, Eprintsev AT (2016) Organic acids: the pools of fixed carbon involved in redox regulation and energy balance in higher plants. Front Plant Sci 7:1042. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.01042
IPCC (2013) Climate change 2013: the physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Stocker TF, Qin D, Plattner GK, Tignor M, Allen SK, Boschung J, Nauels A, Xia Y, Bex V, Midgley PM (Eds) Cambridge University Press, UK, pp 95-144
Jilling A, Keiluweit M, Contosta AR (2018) Minerals in the rhizosphere: overlooked mediators of soil nitrogen availability to plants and microbes. Biogeochemistry 139:103–122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-018-0459-5
Kim H, Kim K, Lee SJ (2018) Hydraulic strategy of cactus root–stem junction for effective water transport. Front Plant Sci 9:799. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.00799
Lambers H, Mougel C, Jaillard B, Hinsinger P (2009) Plant-microbe-soil interactions in the rhizosphere: an evolutionary perspective. Plant Soil 321:83–115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-009-0042-x
Leake JR, Duran AL, Hardy KE, Johnson I, Beerling DJ, Banwart SA, Smits MM (2008) Biological weathering in soil: the role of symbiotic root-associated fungi biosensing minerals and directing photosynthate-energy into grain-scale mineral weathering. Mineral Mag 72:85–89. https://doi.org/10.1180/minmag.2008.072.1.85
Lopez RB, Bashan Y, Bacilio M, De la Cruz-Aguero G (2009) Rock-colonizing plants: abundance of the endemic cactus Mammillaria fraileana related to rock type in the southern Sonoran Desert. Plant Ecol 201:575–588. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-008-9553-4
Lopez BR, Bashan Y, Bacilio M (2011) Endophytic bacteria of Mammillaria fraileana, an endemic rock-colonizing cactus of the southern Sonoran Desert. Arch Microbiol 193:527–541. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-011-0695-8
Lopez BR, Tinoco-Ojanguren C, Bacilio M, Mendoza A, Bashan Y (2012) Endophytic bacteria of the rock-dwelling cactus Mammillaria fraileana affect plant growth and mobilization of elements from rocks. Environ Exp Bot 81:26–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2012.02.014
Ma Z, Marsolais F, Bernards MA, Sumarah MW, Bykova NV, Igamberdiev AU (2016) Glyoxylate cycle and metabolism of organic acids in the scutellum of barley seeds during germination. Plant Sci 248:37–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2016.04.007
Manning DAC, Theodoro SH (2018) Enabling food security through use of local rocks and minerals. The Extractive Industries and Society In press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2018.11.002
Mapelli F, Marasco R, Balloi A, Rolli E, Cappitelli F, Daffonchio D, Borin S (2012) Mineral-microbe interactions: biotechnological potential of bioweathering. J Biotechnol 157:473–481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2011.11.013
Mapelli F, Marasco R, Fusi M, Scaglia B, Tsiamisi G, Rolli E, Fodelianakis S, Bourtzis K, Ventura F, Tambone F, Adani F, Borin S, Daffonchio D (2018) The stage of soil development modulates rhizosphere effect along a High Arctic desert chronosequence. ISME J 12:1188–1198. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-017-0026-4
McFadden LD, Eppes MC, Gillespie AR, Hallet B (2005) Physical weathering in arid landscapes due to diurnal variation in the direction of solar heating. Geol Soc Am Bull 117:161–173. https://doi.org/10.1130/B25508.1
Mergelov N, Mueller CW, Prater I, Shorkunov I, Dolgikh A, Zazovskaya E, Vasily Shishkov V, Krupskaya V, Abrosimov K, Cherkinsky A, Goryachkin S (2018) Alteration of rocks by endolithic organisms is one of the pathways for the beginning of soils on Earth. Sci Rep 8:3367. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-21682-6
Meyer S, De Angeli A, Fernie AR, Martinoia E (2010) Intra and extra-cellular excretion of carboxylates. Trends Plant Sci 15:40–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2009.10.002
Mocek A, Owczarzak W (2011) Parent material and soil physical properties. In: Gliński J, Horabik J, Lipiec J (Eds) Encyclopedia of agrophysics. Encyclopedia of earth sciences series. Springer, Dordrecht, the Netherldands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3585-1_107
Nabais C, Labuto G, Gonçalves S, Buscardo E, Semensatto D, Nogueira ARA, Freitas H (2011) Effect of root age on the allocation of metals, amino acids and sugars in different cell fractions of the perennial grass Paspalum notatum (Bahiagrass). Plant Physiol Bioch 49:1442–1447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2011.09.010
Nash III TH, Ryan BD, Gries C, Bungartz F (2002) Lichen flora of the greater Sonoran Desert region. Vol 1. Arizona State University Lichen Herbarium, AZ, 532 pp
Neumann G, Römheld V (2007) The release of root exudates as affected by the plant physiological status. In: Pinton R, Varanini Z, Nannipieri P (eds) The rhizosphere: biochemistry and organic substances at the soil-plant interface, 2nd edn. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp 23–72. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420005585.ch2
Nisa H, Kamili AN, Nawchoo IA, Shafi S, Shameem N, Bandh SA (2015) Fungal endophytes as prolific source of phytochemicals and other bioactive natural products: a review. Microb Pathog 82:50–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2015.04.001
Nobel PS (1997) Root distribution and seasonal production in the northwestern Sonoran Desert for a C3 subshrub, a C4 bunchgrass, and a CAM leaf succulent. Am J Bot 84:949–955. https://doi.org/10.2307/2446285
Nobel PS (2002) Cacti, biology and uses. University of California Press, CA, 290 pp
Oburger E, Jones DL (2018) Sampling root exudates – mission impossible? Rhizosphere 6:116–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rhisph.2018.06.004
Pawlik L, Phillips JD, Šamonil P (2016) Roots, rock, and regolith: biomechanical and biochemical weathering by trees and its impact on hillslopes—a critical literature review. Earth Sci Rev 159:142–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2016.06.002
Pereira E, Vázquez de Aldana BR, San Emeterio L, Zabalgogeazcoa I (2019) A survey of culturable fungal endophytes from Festuca rubra subsp. pruinosa, a grass from marine cliffs, reveals a core microbiome. Front Microbiol 9:3321. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.03321
Pointing SB, Belnap J (2012) Microbial colonization and controls in dryland systems. Nat Rev Microbiol 10:551–562. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2831
Poot P, Lambers H (2008) Shallow-soil endemics: adaptive advantages and constraints of a specialized root-system morphology. New Phytol 178:371–381. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2007.02370.x
Porada P, Lenton TM, Pohl A, Weber B, Mander L, Donnadieu Y, Beer C, Pöschl U, Kleidon A (2016) A high potential for weathering and climate effects of non-vascular vegetation in the Late Ordovician. Nat Commun 7:12113. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12113
Porder S (2019) How plants enhance weathering and how weathering is important to plants. Elements 15:241–246. https://doi.org/10.2138/gselements.15.4.241
Puente ME, Bashan Y, Li CY, Lebsky VK (2004a) Microbial populations and activities in the rhizoplane of rock-weathering desert plants, I. Root colonization and weathering of igneous rocks. Plant Biol 6:629–642. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2004-821100
Puente ME, Li CY, Bashan Y (2004b) Microbial populations and activities in the rhizoplane of rock-weathering desert plants, II. Growth promotion of cactus seedling. Plant Biol 6:643–650. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2004-821101
Puente ME, Li CY, Bashan Y (2009) Rock-degrading endophytic bacteria in cacti. Environ Exp Bot 66:389–401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2009.04.010
Rosenblueth M, Martínez-Romero E (2006) Bacterial endophytes and their interactions with hosts. Mol Plant-Microbe Interact 19:827–837. https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-19-0827
Santoyo G, Moreno-Hagelsieb G, Orozco-Mosqueda MC, Glick BR (2016) Plant growth-promoting bacterial endophytes. Microbiol Res 183:92–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2015.11.008
Sayed OH (2001) Crassulacean acid metabolism 1975-2000, a check list. Photosynthetica 39:339–352. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020292623960
Schmidt SK, Sobieniak-Wiseman LC, Kageyama SA, Halloy SRP, Schadt CW (2008) Mycorrhizal and dark-septate fungi in plant roots above 4270 meters elevation in the Andes and Rocky Mountains. Arc Antarc Alp Res 40:576–583. https://doi.org/10.1657/1523-0430(07-068)[SCHMIDT]2.0.CO;2
Schulz S, Brankatschk R, Dümig A, Kögel-Knabner I, Schloter M, Zeyer J (2013) The role of microorganisms at different stages of ecosystem development for soil formation. Biogeosciences 10:3983–3996. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3983-2013
Seneviratne G, Indrasena IK (2006) Nitrogen fixation in lichens is important for improved rock weathering. J Biosci 31:639–643. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02708416
Sharma T, Dreyer I, Kochian L, Piñeros MA (2016) The ALMT family of organic acid transporters in plants and their involvement in detoxification and nutrient security. Front Plant Sci 7:1488. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.01488
Smith B (2009) Weathering processes and forms. In: Parsons AJ, Abrahams AD (eds) Geomorphology of desert environments. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherldands, pp 69–100. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5719-9_4
Thorley RMS, Taylor LL, Banwart SA, Leake JR, Beerling DJ (2015) The role of forest trees and their mycorrhizal fungi in carbonate rock weathering and its significance for global carbon cycling. Plant Cell Environ 38:1947–1961. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.12444
Uroz S, Calvaruso C, Turpault MP, Frey-Klett P (2009) Mineral weathering by bacteria: ecology, actors and mechanisms. Trends Microbiol 17:378–387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2009.05.004
Vieira S, Sikorski J, Dietz S, Herz K, Schrumpf M, Bruelheide H, Scheel D, Friedrich MW, Overmann J (2019) Drivers of the composition of active rhizosphere bacterial communities in temperate grasslands. ISME J 14:463–475. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-019-0543-4
Viles H, Messenzehl K, Mayaud J, Coombes M, Bourke M (2018) Stress histories control rock-breakdown trajectories in arid environments. Geology 46:419–422. https://doi.org/10.1130/G39637.1
Vranova V, Rejsek K, Skene KR, Janous D, Formanek P (2013) Methods of collection of plant root exudates in relation to plant metabolism and purpose: a review. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 176:175–199. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.201000360
Warke PA (2013) Weathering in arid regions. In: Shroder J (ed) Treatise on geomorphology, Academic press, vol 4. San Diego, CA, pp 197–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-374739-6.00060-9
Wieler N, Ginat H, Gillor O, Angel R (2019) The origin and role of biological rock crusts in rocky desert weathering. Biogeosciences 16:1133–1145. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1133-2019
Wierzchos J, de los Ríos A, Ascaso C (2012) Microorganisms in desert rocks: the edge of life on Earth. Int Microbiol 15:173–183. https://doi.org/10.2436/20.1501.01.170
Wierzchos J, Casero MC, Artieda O, Ascaso C (2018) Endolithic microbial habitats as refuges for life inpolyextreme environment of the Atacama Desert. Curr Opin Microbiol 43:124–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mib.2018.01.003
Zhou X, Zhang J, Pan D, Ge X, Jin X, Chen S, Wu F (2018) p-Coumaric can alter the composition of cucumber rhizosphere microbial communities and induce negative plant-microbial interactions. Biol Fertil Soils 54:363–372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-018-1265-x
Zhu Y, Duan G, Chen B, Peng X, Chen Z, Sun G (2014) Mineral weathering and element cycling in soil-microorganism-plant system. Sci China Earth Sci 57:888–896. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-014-4861-0
Acknowledgments
We thank Dr. Alfonso Medel for critical comments and for providing pictures of cacti.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
This study is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Yoav Bashan (1951-2018), a visionary researcher that dedicated most of his life to understanding processes of soil formation in rocky environments and restoration of degraded arid lands.
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lopez, B.R., Bacilio, M. Weathering and soil formation in hot, dry environments mediated by plant–microbe interactions. Biol Fertil Soils 56, 447–459 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-020-01456-x
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-020-01456-x