Gallionellaceae in rice root plaque: metabolic roles in iron oxidation, nutrient cycling, and plant interactions.

) are distinguished by genes for plant colonization and nutrient fixation. Our results suggest that iron-oxidizing and iron-reducing bacteria form and remodel iron plaque, making it a dynamic system that represents both a temporary sink for elements (P, As, Cd, C, etc.) as well as a source. In contrast to abiotic iron oxidation, microbial iron oxidation results in coupled Fe-C-N cycling, as well as microbe-microbe and microbe-plant ecological interactions that need to be considered in soil biogeochemistry, ecosystem dynamics, and crop management.