Resource reallocation
Processes that make resources available, unavailable or that replace them, are grouped into the third sub-function: Resource reallocation. This includes mixing and moving soil through bioturbation, occlusion of organic matter by aggregation, allocation of assimilated C and N from plants and microbes into the soil by exudation, and the uptake of C and N by the food web. The flow of C and N through the soil food web can be assessed in more detail by zooming in on the actions of the relevant trophic groups as sub-processes[1]. Most food web sub-processes concern the bottom-up flow of C and N derived from organic matter, with one exception, that of mycorrhizal C translocation. While most sub-processes concern the consumption of organisms in a lower trophic level (Bacterial and fungal feeding, Predation) or organic matter directly, mycorrhizal C translocation includes the movement of plant assimilated C directly to their mycorrhizal fungal partner.
[1] de Ruiter PC et al. 1993. Calculation of nitrogen mineralization in soil food webs. Plant and Soil 157: 263–273.