Ectomycorrhizal weathering, a matter of scale?

Boreal forest trees influence mineral weathering rates via exudation and uptake processes. Most trees in the boreal forest live in symbiosis with ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi that sheath most of the root tips and form the main interface between the tree and the soil. Current weathering models do not take into account the nature and scale of fungal-mineral interactions. Here we show for the first time grain-scale effects of EcM fungi in symbiosis with a host plant oil mineral weathering under sterile conditions. EcM fungi actively direct their growth and energy flow towards mineral grains containing essential nutrient elements for the tree and fungus.