recommend

While some microbes are able to move to some small extent, the main reason that certain bacteria are found in certain mineral rich areas is chance. The microbes arrive by chance, such as wind borne or on mobile organisms, and IF they are in a suitable place to grow they are able to grow and multiply. In general, the organisms that are able to survive and multiply in specific microenvironments are those that have the ability to live in those conditions. So we call them -philes because of their dominance in these situations.

It could be applicable to any kind of microorganism as all kinds of microorganism need there own conditions to survive. However what I am not very clear is on just mineral. There are not many well knownmicroorganisms that live in extreme environments and it is strange to find an organism in such conditions especially in mineral. Maybe you mean the activity of the mineral (innert) will be transformed onto land, so the less mineral, the more activity, in this case biologic. You may transform the land by weather or erosion, but won't be the same, in this case the bacteria" eat" the mineral. Maybe suggest for mining or any kind of ore, could be an application of the microbe. Mind, you may say bacteria, but lichens do break the stone to grow on it specially in humid conditions, and it's not necessary microscopic. Phytomining takes the plants modify them and they digest the toxic soil to produce fine powder, like copper. It may be used for mining as well. For it to be productive, they must be optimal conditions. However watch out for one reason:bacteria may not be as ubiquitious as you say, one place where bacteria can't grow is in the inside of igneous rocks; it will mean eat or grow on solid rock and it would be very rare.

recommend

By chemotaxis, microorganisms sense the presence of chemicals, organic or inorganic, become attracted to it or move away from it, if they are motile. Otherwise, they develop mechanism(s) that enable them cope with or adapt to the situation. Bacterial chemoreceptors are transmembrane proteins that detect chemical stimuli in the environment and relay these sensations to a cytoplasmic ‘two-component’ signal transduction system, consisting of a kinase (CheA) and a response regulator (CheY). The machinery behind the adaptive responses of bacteria handles signaling tasks fundamental to all cell sensory systems: stimulus detection; signal processing, including amplification and integration of sensory inputs; and production of appropriate output responses. The sensory systems of prokaryotes are not only tractable models for exploring the molecular basis of these events, but also promise to provide general insights into cellular signaling mechanisms. See the link for detail. Article Bacterial chemotaxis: The five sensors of a bacterium

My guess, Daniel asks a completely different question. It can be rephrased as to whether we can evaluate soil quality based on the physiological profile/preference of microorganisms isolated from this soil? The term 'mineral' is used in a wide context as the inorganic status of soil: pH, Eh, ionic strength, and many other parameters including the mineralogical composition (montmorillonite, gibbsite, quartz, etc.) If my guess is correct, then the answer is negative: this approach called soil biological diagnostics has been discredited last century: much easier is to measure pH in soil than undertake research on pH-dependence of soil bacteria. The simple statement 'if microorganism likes pH below 6' requires a lot of work (plating, purification, series of experiments in the bioreactor) taking several months and k$ budget. In addition, we have problems of soil heterogeneity, uncultivability, and the multitude of factors affecting any soil community. As a result, your microbiological answer about soil acidity will be NOT reliable, use the pH-meter instead.

Thank you for that contribution@Nicolai S

The pH there was actually an instance, thus, not really part the question.

Unlike the Geologists that study geological formations and then test the physical and chemical properties of soil and rocks to locate possible ores and determine their size and concentration, my concern is; if microbes can actually serve as alternative for geological methods.

What really interest me is the type of soil I am about studying.

The owners have complained that the soil does not yield enough farm produce as expected. They described the nature of the soil and wanted analysis. Prior examination, I perceived the problem in many ways including microbial activities, presence of minerals (both organic and inorganic ). I raised a hypothetical question if these can contribute to the profile of the soil. If yes, would just microbial analysis profer solution the problem?

The study of soil is one of the most difficult sciences. The poor soils can be used in many ways, maybe it is just inadequate to just say poor soil. However maybe say humus is the cause of no cultivation. You might say depending on the microbes, depending on the properties. A very acidic soil is still possible for cultivation;organic matter can make it possible. Bacteria "eat" if it positive (optimal). You may still get some flexibility in bacteria barophile (pressure). You can still employ genetic engineering to change properties. It is said, one bacteria "eat" or degrade petrol and it will be the bacteria that rescues us. One of the principles (the third one) of the discipline ecology there is bacteria for almost anything we can think of. And as everything in science when we establish a rule there is always exceptions to the rule; bacteria can't grow on some places like igneous rocks, but I think this exception has recently changed.

Genetic engineering, to concentrate the soil, what I don't know if you can store them on vacuoles. Magnetotactic bacteria move to magnetic stones. Would you rather focus on the soil or on bacteria (microorganism?) or you mention a cycle ?(contamination?)

Would it not be good if I relate the soil and microbes@Angeles

Daniel, if soil productivity is the main concern, then you should definitely start from the basic soil chemical analyses: plant mineral nutrients content in soils (NPK, trace elements), pH, organic matter. From the microbiological standpoint, probably the most important issues are tests for soil toxicity (most often fungi are major culprits) and possible destructive activity of phytopathogens. This is classic and well-established practical science at the interface of soil science, plant nutrition/agrochemistry, and phytopathology. I would not worry about such issues as sensing of minerals by soil bacteria. The best research tools are pot experiments with plants in the greenhouse or field microplot (~1 m2) experiments with different doses of mineral and organic fertilizers. Look carefully, what can be the main reason for low plant productivity. The intuition of local farmers could be of great significance to identify the bottleneck.