Lily Pitcher MBiol Student
My project is investigating the Oxalate-Carbonate pathway as a potential mechanism of carbon capture. I am part of a project looking at the biomineralization of calcium oxalate in Quercus robur trees in Wytham woods, with the aim of quantifying the rate of input of calcium oxalate into the soil and eventual metabolization into calcium carbonate, a long-term carbon store. More specifically, I will focus on the below ground processes and developing methods to understand and quantify the production of calcium oxalate by the roots and associated Ectomycorrhizal fungi. This project aims to estimate the additional carbon captured through this pathway and highlight the need capture complex plant-soil interactions in natural capital models.