Nutrient Allocation in Plant Communities: Mineral Cycling in Terrestrial Ecosystems

Abstract

In recent years the literature on mineral cycling in terrestrial ecosystems has expanded greatly, and few if any of the major biomes have escaped attention. We do not propose to review this large body of information in detail. Rather, it is our intention to outline the broad features of mineral acquisition, distribution and cycling that apply generally in terrestrial ecosystems, and to highlight several facets of the internal cycle that are vital for community nutrition but which seem to have been rather neglected. Inevitably, we cannot treat all essential elements equally, nor can we deal with the functional aspects of elemental storage and flux in all their complexity. The aboveground components of ecosystems have been studied in great detail, whereas spatial and temporal patterns in soil are but poorly understood. The account that follows is in part, therefore, an attempt to redress this imbalance and consequently is uneven in its treatment of both the static and dynamic attributes of ecosystems.