The role of soil biota in the weathering of minerals: A review of literature

Two methodological approaches used in the study of the mineral weathering in soils under the effect of biota were analyzed. According to one approach, which is based on the concepts of coordination chemistry, the dissolution of minerals is considered at the ion-molecule level and can be described using the terms and notions of classical thermodynamics. According to the other approach, the weathering of minerals in the supergenesis zone is considered at the ion-electron level within the framework of the corrosion model of supergenesis on the basis of anode-cathode processes, when the mineral in the electrolyte environment serves as an anode and is oxidized being an electron donor. Microorganisms act as a cathodic associate of minerals, i.e., an electron acceptor. The kinetic parameters related to the rate of the biological processes and the diffusion come out on top in this case. The review deals with the mechanisms of the direct and indirect effect of biota on the weathering of minerals in soils; the features of the soil in the rhizosphere and the ectomycorrhizosphere; the impact of fungi, bacteria, and higher plants on the minerals; and the generated synergistic effect.