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Mycorrhizal weathering of apatite as an important calcium source in base-poor forest ecosystems

Nature volume 417, pages 729–731 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

The depletion of calcium in forest ecosystems of the northeastern USA1,2,3 is thought to be a consequence of acidic deposition and to be at present restricting the recovery of forest and aquatic systems4,5,6,7 now that acidic deposition itself is declining. This depletion of calcium has been inferred from studies1,2,3 showing that sources of calcium in forest ecosystems—namely, atmospheric deposition and mineral weathering of silicate rocks such as plagioclase, a calcium-sodium silicate—do not match calcium outputs observed in forest streams. It is therefore thought that calcium is being lost from exchangeable and organically bound calcium in forest soils. Here we investigate the sources of calcium in the Hubbard Brook experimental forest, through analysis of calcium and strontium abundances and strontium isotope ratios within various soil, vegetation and hydrological pools. We show that the dissolution of apatite (calcium phosphate) represents a source of calcium that is comparable in size to known inputs from atmospheric sources and silicate weathering. Moreover, apatite-derived calcium was utilized largely by ectomycorrhizal tree species, suggesting that mycorrhizae may weather apatite and absorb the released ions directly, without the ions entering the exchangeable soil pool. Therefore, it seems that apatite weathering can compensate for some of the calcium lost from base-poor ecosystems, and should be considered when estimating soil acidification impacts and calcium cycling.

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Figure 1: Major-element ratios of sequential digests of six composite C-horizon soil samples and soil minerals.
Figure 2: Ca/Sr ratios of the digest 1 for each soil horizon.
Figure 3: The Ca/Sr and 87Sr/86Sr ratios of all samples analysed.

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Acknowledgements

We thank S. Bailey, D. Buso, S. Hamburg, J. Hogan and R. Yanai for discussions, and H. Wallander and L. Derry for comments and suggestions. This research was supported by the NSF, and carried out at the Hubbard Brook experimental forest, which is operated and maintained by the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, US Department of Agriculture.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, 425 East University Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA

    Joel D. Blum, Andrea Klaue & Carmen A. Nezat

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University, New York, 13244, USA

    Charles T. Driscoll & Chris E. Johnson

  3. Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA

    Thomas G. Siccama

  4. Northeastern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Durham, New Hampshire, 03824, USA

    Christopher Eagar

  5. Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA

    Timothy J. Fahey

  6. Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York, 12545, USA

    Gene E. Likens

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  1. Joel D. Blum
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Correspondence to Joel D. Blum.

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Blum, J., Klaue, A., Nezat, C. et al. Mycorrhizal weathering of apatite as an important calcium source in base-poor forest ecosystems. Nature 417, 729–731 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature00793

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