ABSTRACT
Microbial communities play an essential role in the biogeochemical transformation of rocks and minerals, resulting in the wide and dynamic research ›eld of microbe-mineral interactions. Both prokaryotes and eukaryotes are important actors of this ›eld. In particular, the roles of bacteria and fungi are beginning to be well characterized (Gadd 2007; Uroz et al. 2009). Bioavailability of metals and nutrients in the environment is largely regulated by microbial-driven mobilization and immobilization processes. On the one hand, this results in the bioweathering of rocks and minerals, leading to the release of their constitutive elements in solution. On the other hand, accumulation or precipitation of minerals and metals is commonly observed within or near biomass and is termed biomineralization (Gadd 2007, 2010). At present, this capability of bioaccumulation is broadly applied and exploited for the bioremediation of metalpolluted soils or waste treatment, among others (Singh 2006; Gadd 2010).
