Abstract
The present work contributes to the essential questions on calcium oxalate formation under the influence of lithobiont community organisms. We have discovered calcium oxalates in lichen thalli on surfaces of apatite-nepheline rocks of southeastern and southwestern titanite-apatite ore fields of the Khibiny peralkaline massif (Kola Peninsula, NW Russia) for the first time; investigated biofilm calcium oxalates with different methods (X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and EDX analysis) and discussed morphogenetic patterns of its formation using results of model experiments. The influence of inorganic and organic components of the crystallization medium on the phase composition and morphology of oxalates has been analyzed. It was shown that, among the complex of factors controlling the patterns of biogenic oxalate formation, one of the main roles belongs to the metabolic activity of the lithobiont community organisms, which differs significantly from the activity of its individuals.
Highlights
Crystalline salts of oxalic acid, in particular calcium oxalate monohydrate (whewellite, Ca(C2 O4 )·H2 O) and calcium oxalate dihydrate (weddellite, Ca(C2 O4 )·(2.5–x)H2 O), are the most common mineral phases forming in the presence of lichens and microscopic fungi
We describe calcium oxalates that were found for the first time in lichen thalli on surfaces of apatite-nepheline rocks of southeastern and southwestern titanite-apatite ore fields of the Khibiny peralkaline massif (Kola Peninsula, NW Russia)
While copper oxalate was previously found in the lichen Lecanora polytropa [34], no oxalic acid salts were previously encountered in the thallus of Farnoldia jurana and Polysporina simplex
Summary
Crystalline salts of oxalic acid, in particular calcium oxalate monohydrate (whewellite, Ca(C2 O4 )·H2 O) and calcium oxalate dihydrate (weddellite, Ca(C2 O4 )·(2.5–x)H2 O), are the most common mineral phases forming in the presence of lichens and microscopic fungi. These minerals are often found in thalli of crustose and foliose lichens growing on the surface of carbonate rocks, such as marble, limestone, and dolomite (Table 1). They were found on the surface of calcium-containing silicate rocks: granite, serpentinite, gabbro, etc. The determination of the lichen species in which whewellite and/or weddellite are found is an important
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