Nutrient assimilation
Nutrient assimilation describes the processes controlling nutrient acquisition from the soil and incorporation into biomass by soil biota (food web assimilation), by plants directly (root foraging)[1],[2] or indirectly by plant mutualists: mycorrhizal acquisition[3] and N-fixation[4],[5]. Nutrients that are assimilated by soil biota can be mineralized again and cycle through other processes in the Nutrient transformation sub-function; in turn, Nutrient transformations can enhance or reduce the availability of nutrients for assimilation by soil biota and plants.
[1] Postma JA et al. 2014. Dynamic root growth and architecture responses to limiting nutrient availability: linking physiological models and experimentation. Biotechnology Advances 32: 53–65.
[2] Richardson AE et al. 2011. Plant and microbial strategies to improve the phosphorus efficiency of agriculture. Plant and Soil 349: 121–156.
[3] Read DJ & Perez-Moreno J. 2003. Mycorrhizas and nutrient cycling in ecosystems - a journey towards relevance? New Phytologist 157: 475–492.
[4] Mills AL. 2019. Qualitative and Quantitative Aspects of the Modern Nitrogen Cycle, in: Hurst, C.J. (Ed.), Understanding Terrestrial Microbial Communities, Advances in Environmental Microbiology. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp. 31–63.
[5] Reed SC et al. 2011. Functional Ecology of Free-Living Nitrogen Fixation: A Contemporary Perspective. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 42: 489–512.