Correlation of the abundance of betaproteobacteria on mineral surfaces with mineral weathering in forest soils

Abstract

Pyrosequencing-based analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed a significant correlation between apatite dissolution and the abundance of betaproteobacteria on apatite surfaces, suggesting a role for the bacteria belonging to this phylum in mineral weathering. Notably, the cultivation-dependent approach demonstrated that the most efficient mineral-weathering bacteria belonged to the betaproteobacterial genus Burhkolderia. © 2012, American Society for Microbiology.