ERC project COSMYCA

The role of the Earth’s mycelial community and enzyme activity on global atmospheric CO2 and COS budgets (COSMYCA) | 2022-2027

The overall goal of the ERC project COSMYCA will be to characterise, quantify and compare the metabolic fingerprints of trees that form symbiotic relationships with ectomycorrhizal (EM) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) for the first time and use this new knowledge to explain how changes in CO2 levels and nutrient availability might drive changes in fungal enzyme activities related to COS fluxes, pH regulation, nutrient uptake and soil weathering. COSMYCA will combine state-of-the-art gas exchange measurements of CO2, 13CO2, CO18O and COS with cutting-edge high-resolution pH and elemental imaging from hyphal networks and tree rings. We will also use a phenomics approach to characterise changes in the hyphosphere community structure as well as profiling metabolite, protein and gene expression in response to changes in atmospheric CO2, nutrient status and plant species. All the knowledge gained from these experiments will be combined to describe interactions between primary productivity, pH and enzyme dynamics at the plant-fungal-soil interface in state-of-the-art Land Surface Models (LSMs) that can be used to incorporate mechanistic representations of COS and mineral weathering in dynamic LSMs used to predict feedbacks between ecosystem function and the CO2 growth rate. COSMYCA is a truly interdisciplinary project that will bring together research communities working on functional microbiology, geology, forestry, plant nutrition, fungal function and evolution.

 

Project organisation

 

To acheive the overall goal the project is organised into 4 main tasks:

 

Task 1: Characterising phylogenetic variability in CA activity across a range of fungal phyla

A number of CA genes have been identified within major phyla of the fungal kingdom. Although these genes have been found in different fungal organs and secretions it is not yet clear what function(s) they serve or whether these genes are actually expressed. To date, no study has measured the CA activity of AM or EM mycorrhizal fungi. However, it is highly likely that a number of these genes are functional and involved in the regulation of respiration and the construction of carbon skeletons for amino acids necessary for the growth of hyphae and the mycorrhisation process itself. However, no empirical datasets exist describing the expression levels or the kinetics of these enzymes in vivo.  To address this knowledge gap, a wide range of fungal material will be measured to characterise their enzyme activity and metabolism using a range of techniques as illustrated below.   To tease apart the roles of different drivers on carbonic anhydrase activity the COSMYCA team has been building a laboratory that can measure the exchange of 13CO2, CO18O and COS between soils and the atmosphere.  We have already developed a novel technique that allows us to determine both the activity of carbonic anhydrase in soil samples and the oxygen isotope composition of the water pools that CO2 has exchanged with, without the need to cryogenically extract water from the soil samples. Our next steps are to quantify the effects of pH variability on fungal enzyme activity and metabolism.

IMG_2170

 

Task 2: Characterising plant and hyphosphere CA activity and COS exchange to elevated CO2 and nutrients

Rising atmospheric CO2 stimulates plant photosynthesis and the production of sugars and organics acids that are either exudated, respired or converted to biomass. Studies suggest that this increase in plant productivity should be accompanied by a decrease in hyphosphere pH that should differ between AM and EM tree species with potential consequences for gas exchange and nutrient acquisition. We will conduct a set of experiments to test for the first time whether CO2-induced variations in plant productivity can cause detectable changes in hyphosphere pH, plant and fungal metabolomes and CA activity using a range of techniques illustrated below.

To bring some further elements of understanding, we will develop a gas exchange method that will measure for the first time the 13C/12C and 34S/32S ratio of COS during plant-fungal gas exchange. This challenging measurement will be developed in collaboration with Dr Pierre Cartigny an expert in the analytical measurement and interpretation of Sulphur isotopes and Sophie Baartman and Dr Elena Popa who have recently developed an approach to measure the 13C/12C and 34S/32S ratio of atmospheric COS from small volumes (6L). Using a similar approach developed by the PI for measuring 13C and 18O CO2 discrimination from plants and soils (Wingate et al., 2007; 2008; 2009) we will attempt to measure the 13C/12C and 34S/32S ratios of COS during plant and fungal gas exchange using two different approaches: a newly acquired 253 Ultra High Resolution Isotope Ratio Mass spectrometer (IRMS) (Thermo, Bremen) based at the IPGP and; a GC coupled to a Delta Q IRMS (Thermo Scientific, Bremen) installed in the ERC laboratory, in Bordeaux.

 

Task 3: Linking rising CO2 to changes in hyphosphere function and weathering in the field

As highlighted by a number of FACE meta-analyses, variations in soil fertility strongly predict the differential capacities of AM and EM trees to increase biomass in response to increasing CO2 levels. It has also been shown in the lab that rising CO2 promotes changes in pH that increase soil weathering rates differentially in AM and EM tree species, although such findings have been rarely validated in the field. As CO2 increases, we should expect to find large-scale field evidence for changes in soil acidification and weathering rates that should vary with the tree species and the metabolic and gas exchange traits of the mycorrhizal partner. We plan to test these hypotheses using a set of forests networks and a range of techniques illustrated below.

Task 4: Modelling the response of forest-hyphosphere function to changes in CO2 and N over the last century

Land surface models (LSMs) are one of the most powerful tools society has to provide guidance on past and future carbon-climate feedbacks. However, the key role of mycorrhizal association types on plant growth and silicate weathering rates is currently missing from LSMs and remains a major challenge for the global C cycle modelling community. In COSMYCA we will tackle this problem and use the key breakthroughs obtained from Tasks 1, 2 and 3 to implement the functional regulation of mycorrhizal association in state-of-the-art LSMs that contain the most comprehensive descriptions of the global N cycle, accounting for the impact of nutrient limitations on plant productivity.

Tasks 1, 2 and 3 will also provide insights into how CO2 and nutrient availability influences CO2 and COS fluxes from plants and soils and will allow the implementation of COS as a new tracer of the C cycle in LSMs. Currently, and despite the increasing availability of COS concentration data from the atmospheric flask network (as illustrated above) and a growing number of satellite products, none of the LSMs commonly used in CMIP have implemented COS. Recently the PIs team has developed new theory to examine the role of soil pH, microbial biomass and soil nitrogen on CA activity and soil and plant COS fluxes globally. In COSMYCA, we will incorporate these parameterisations into a CMIP LSM alongside the new knowledge acquired on plant-fungal CA responses and activity in different CO, pH and nutrient environments. This modelling activity will provide valuable insights on the recent declining trends in COS observed at atmospheric stations and ice cores to provide constraints on the rate of global photosynthesis growth over the past century in response to increasing atmospheric CO2.

 

Project ERC team

The ERC COSMYCA team has brought together a group of talented young researchers and engineers from across the world:

The ERC SOLCA team also benefits from working closely and continuously with researchers and engineers working in Bordeaux :

Project partners

The project involves close co-operation between the COSMYCA team and several important external partners:

  • Dr Pierre Petriacq, Université de Bordeaux, France
  • Dr Josep Valls-Fonayet, Université de Bordeaux, France
  • Dr Yves Gibon, INRAE UMR 1332 Biologie Fruits et pathogens
  • Dr Pierre Cartigny, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, France
  • Dr Samuel Mondy at the INRAE UMR 1347 AgroEcologie will bring the necessary expertise in soil microbial ecology and genetics

The project also works closely with the INRAE GENOSOL platform based in Dijon and the Bordeaux Metabolome platform.

Project collaborators

The project has fostered a number of exciting and new collaborations whilst it has been running:

The COSMYCA team are also active participants of the COSANOVA working group.

COSANOVA_EGU_2018

COSANOVISTS at the 2018 EGU splinter meeting proudly showing off their new COS/OCS mugs

Next meeting of the COSANOVA group will be at AGU 2023.

Publications and communications

Peer-reviewed articles coming soon….

Zeng, M., Petriacq, P., Fanin, N., Lauvergeat, V. & Wingate, L. (in prep) How do arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fung co-exist

Abs, E., Keuschnig, C., Amato, P., Bowler, C., Capo, E., Chase, A.B., Chavez Rodriguez, L., Dabengwa, A., Dussarrat, T., Guzman, T., Honeker, L.K., Hultman, J., Kusel, K., Li, Z., Mankowski, A., Riley, W.J., Saleska, S.S. & Wingate, L. (in prep) Using meta-omics to examine biogeochemical changes from cells to planetary scales.

Guzman, T., Petriacq, P., Valls Fonayet, J., Cassan, C., Dussarat, T., Devert, N., Feret, J.-B., Flandin, A., Bernillon, S., Ogée, J.,  Gibon, Y. & Wingate, L. (in prep) Leaf metabolomes and spectranomes discriminate mycorrhizal associations.

Ubierna, N., Baartman, S.L., Ogée, J., Popa, M.E., Krol, M.C. & Wingate, L. (in prep) A comprehensive model for COS isotope discrimination during leaf COS uptake.

Baartman, S.L., Driever, S.M., Wassenaar, M., Kooijmans, L.M.J., Ubierna Lopez, N., Mossink, L., Popa, M.E., Cho, A.,  Wingate, L., Rockmann, T., van Heuven, S.M.A.C. & Krol, M.C. (in review) Isotope discrimination of carbonyl sulfide (34S) and carbon dioxide (13C, 18O) during plant uptake in flow-through chamber experiments. Biogeosciences preprint EGUsphere doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-215

Rodriguez-Una, A., Moreno-Mateos, D., Matesanz, S.,Wingate, L., Barbeta, A., Porras, J., Gimeno, T.E. (accepted) Changes in the functional diversity and abundance of ectomycorrhizal fungi are decoupled from water uptake patterns in European beech forests. Oikos

Outreach Media coming soon….

Objectif neutralité carbone pour l’Europe: une bourse ERC Consolidator Grant pour le projet COSMYCA https://www.static.inrae.fr/actualites/objectif-neutralite-carbone-leurope-bourse-erc-consolidator-grant-projet-cosmyca INRAE Communique de presse, 9th December 2020

Nuit Européenne des chercheur.e.s Nos Futurs Bouche A Oreille 29th September 2023 Cap Sciences, Bordeaux

Accélération de la recherche à risque et à impact en agriculture, alimentation, environnement Participants Table Ronde, INRAE Paris, France

Communications at international conferences and laboratories
  • Keuschnig, C., Abs, E., Dabengawa, A. & Wingate, L. Eco-omics: Harnessing meta-omics to advance Earth System science. Session ITS1.7/BG0.3 European Geosciences Union, Vienna, Austria, 27th April – 2nd May, 2025
  • Arette-Hourquet, P., Demullier, E., Guzman, T., Valls Fonayet, J., Devert, N., Ogée, J., Petriacq, P.,  Ubierna, N. & Wingate, L. Investigating differences in the metabolomes of ectomycorrhizal fungi and their link to GHG fluxes. European Geosciences Union, Vienna, Austria, 27th April – 2nd May, 2025
  • Demullier, E., Ogée, J., Rambert-Banvillet, G., Arette-Hourquet, P., Zeng, M., Devert, N., Dong, Y., Ubierna, N., Fanin, N., Zheng, C., Guzman, T.  & Wingate, L. Arbuscular mycorrhizal contribution to plant water uptake. European Geosciences Union, Vienna, Austria, 27th April – 2nd May, 2025
  • Guzman, T., Feret, J.-B., Ogée, J., Petriacq, P., Gibon, Y., Valls Fonayet, J., Dussarat, T., Devert, N., Flandin, A. & Wingate, L. Is leaf reflectance an integrator of mycorrhizal types? European Geosciences Union, Vienna, Austria, 27th April – 2nd May, 2025
  • Guzman, T., Petriacq, P., Valls Fonayet, J., Cassan, C., Flandin, A., Dussarat, T., Gibon, Y., Devert, N., Dubois, S. & Wingate, L. Les traits foliaires nous renseignent-ils sur le type de partenaire mycorhizien ? GENOSOL platform, Dijon, France, 2nd July, 2024
  • Guzman, T., Petriacq, P., Valls Fonayet, J., Cassan, C., Flandin, A., Dussarat, T., Gibon, Y., Devert, N., Dubois, S. & Wingate, L. Les traits foliaires nous renseignent-ils sur le type de partenaire mycorhizien ? JFM7 Journées Francophones de Mycorhizes, Montpellier, France, 14th May, 2024
  • Ubierna, N., Ogée, J. Baartman, S., Popa, E., Krol, M. & Wingate, L. A comprehensive model for COS isotope discrimination during leaf COS uptake European Geosciences Union, Vienna, Austria, 12-19th April, 2024
  • Wingate, L., Keuschnig, C. & Abs, E. Eco-Omics: Harnessing meta-omics to understand the biogeosciences across scales: from the cell to Earth system. European Geosciences Union, Vienna, Austria, 12-19th April, 2024
  • Guzman, T., Petriacq, P., Valls Fonayet, J., Cassan, C., Flandin, A., Dussarat, T., Gibon, Y., Devert, N., Dubois, S. & Wingate, L. Do leaf phytochemical fingerprints vary with mycorrhizal association? European Geosciences Union, Vienna, Austria, 12-19th April, 2024
  • Guzman, T., Petriacq, P., Valls Fonayet, J., Cassan, C., Flandin, A., Dussarat, T., Gibon, Y., Devert, N., Dubois, S. & Wingate, L. Are leaf chemical traits integrators of mycorrhizal fungal-plant associations? British Ecological Society, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 12-15th December, 2023
  • Guzman, T., Petriacq, P., Valls Fonayet, J., Cassan, C., Flandin, A., Dussarat, T., Gibon, Y., Devert, N., Dubois, S. & Wingate, L. Are leaf chemical traits integrators of mycorrhizal fungal-plant associations? Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Republic of Ireland 11th December, 2023
  • Guzman, T., Petriacq, P., Valls Fonayet, J., Cassan, C., Flandin, A., Dussarat, T., Gibon, Y., Devert, N., Dubois, S. & Wingate, L. Are leaf chemical traits integrators of mycorrhizal fungal-plant associations? INRAE IAM, Nancy, France 28th November, 2023
  • Wingate, L. Constraining plant-soil interactions and how they regulate ecosystem function and atmospheric chemistry across scales. Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany 3rd July 2023 (INVITED)
  • Petriacq, P. , Guzman, T., Barros Santos, M., Valls Fonayet, J., Marcellin, K. , Cassan, C., Flandin, A., Creusot, N., Dussarat, T., Prigent, S., Devert, N., Dubois, S. & Wingate, L. Developing soil metabolite modelling to predict plant-mycorrhizal interactions and soil community function Bordeaux Plant Sciences General Assembly, Agora Haut Carré, Talence, France 23rd June 2023
  • Barros-Santos, M.C., Guzman, T., Dereje Tadesse, B., Dussarrat, T., Prigent, S., Wingate, L. & Petriacq, P. Predictive metabolomics presumes the mycorrhiza and plant traits from soil metabolome. 15th Journées Scientifique du Reseau Francophone de Metabolomique et Fluxomique Perpignan, France 24-26th May 2023 (Poster)
  • Marcellin, K., Cassan, C., Barros-Santos, M.C., Creusot, N., Petriacq, P. & Wingate, L. Characterising the metabolomes of European soils to understand the variability in carbonyl sulphide (COS) fluxes. 15th Journées Scientifique du Reseau Francophone de Metabolomique et Fluxomique Perpignan, France 24-26th May 2023 (Poster)
  • Guzman, T., Petriacq, P., Valls Fonayet, J., Cassan, C., Flandin, A., Dussarat, T., Gibon, Y., Devert, N., Dubois, S. & Wingate, L. Are leaf chemical traits integrators of mycorrhizal fungal-plant associations? Paul Sabatier Université, Toulouse, France 11th April, 2023
  • Wingate, L. Using a multi-functional enzyme-based approach to constrain the magnitude of the terrestrial biosphere CO2 sink. Jesium 2022, Kuopio, Finland, 10-14th October 2022 (INVITED)

logo_ERCScreen Shot 2017-04-15 at 9.36.21 PMThe COSMYCA project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme 

Consolidator Grant Action no. 101003125