Objective This project will investigate the mutual influence between minerals, microorganisms and lower land plants and their strategies to release and assimilate metal nutrients from minerals. The study encompasses (1) the habitability of silicate mineral substrates for microbes, (2) the strategies used by microorganisms to obtain metal nutrients from minerals of different nutrient content and resilience to nutrient release, (3) the routes of the metal nutrient from the mineral to the microorganisms and plants. Individual microbes will be inoculated on individual silicate minerals with different resilience to weathering and mineral nutrient content, representing a series of progressively degraded soils or sediments. After these experiments, bathing solutions will be transferred to (1) moss cultures and (2) liverwort cultures with and without fungus symbionts.Microscopic techniques will investigate mineral-microbe interaction, topographic and chemical alteration features in the mineral grains. Chemical analyses will investigate siderophore production, cations dissolved and adsorbed on biofilms, and pH at the mineral-biofilm interface. The bioavailability of leached metals to bryophytes will be measured by chemical analysis of the plants and morphological indications of nutrient stress. Results from bryophytes with and without fungal symbionts will indicate the route of metal assimilation by plant. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologymycologynatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsmicroscopyelectron microscopynatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiological behavioural sciencesethologybiological interactionsnatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencessoil sciencespedology Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2014-EF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2014 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF Coordinator NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Net EU contribution € 195 454,80 Address CROMWELL ROAD SW7 5BD London United Kingdom See on map Region London Inner London — West Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham Activity type Public bodies (excluding Research Organisations and Secondary or Higher Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 195 454,80
