Immobilization (soil science)

Part of a series related to
Biomineralization
General Mineralized tissues Remineralisation Biocrystallization Biointerface Biofilm
Exoskeletons (shells) Arthropod exoskeleton cuticle Brachiopod shell Cephalopod shell cirrate shell cuttlebone gladius Lorica Choanoflagellate lorica Protist shell coccosphere coccolith diatom frustule foraminifera test testate amoebae Seashell echinoderm stereom mollusc shell nacre chiton shell gastropod shell small shelly fauna scaly-foot snail shell estuary shells Sponge spicule Test
Endoskeletons (bones) Vertebrate skeleton Bone mineral Ossification
Teeth, scales, tusks etc Limpet teeth Otolith otolithic membrane Scale microfossils Tusk
Calcification amorphous calcium carbonate marine biogenic calcification calcareous nannofossils Aragonite oolitic aragonite sand aragonite sea Calcite microbial calcite precipitation calcite sea Great Calcite Belt
Silicification biogenic silica siliceous ooze diatomaceous earth
Other forms Bone bed Kerogen alginite oil shale Phosphate phosphorite Pyrena
Related Mineral evolution In soil mineralization immobilization Ballast minerals Magnetofossil Magnetosome Magnetotactic bacteria Magnetoreception Microfossils engrailed gene Druse Cupriavidus metallidurans Biomineralising polychaetes Mineral nutrients Microbial mat Fossilization permineralization petrifaction Burgess Shale preservation
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Immobilization in soil science is the conversion of inorganic compounds to organic compounds by microorganisms or plants by which the compounds become inaccessible to plants.^[1] Immobilization is the opposite of mineralization. In immobilization, inorganic nutrients are taken up by soil microbes and become unavailable for plant uptake.^[2] Immobilization is therefore a biological process controlled by bacteria^[3] that consume inorganic nitrogen and form amino acids and biological macromolecules (organic forms).^[4] Immobilization and mineralization are continuous processes that occur concurrently whereby nitrogen of the decomposing system is steadily transformed from an inorganic to an organic state by immobilization and from an organic to an inorganic state by decay and mineralization.^[5]

Whether nitrogen is mineralized or immobilized depends on the C/N ratio of the plant residues.^[6] For example, incorporating materials high in carbon to nitrogen ratio such as saw dust and straw will stimulate soil microbial activity, increase demand for nitrogen, leading to immobilization.^[7] This is known as priming effect.^[8] In general plant residues entering the soil have too little nitrogen for the soil microbial population to convert all of the carbon into their cells. If the C:N ratio of the decomposing plant material is above about 30:1 the soil microbial population may take nitrogen in mineral form (e.g. nitrate). This mineral nitrogen is said to be immobilized. Microorganisms out-compete plants for NH4+ and NO3- during immobilization, and therefore plants can easily become nitrogen deficient.

As carbon dioxide is released via decomposition the C:N ratio of the organic matter decreases, and the microbial demand for mineral nitrogen is decreased. When the C:N ratio falls below about 25:1 further decomposition results in simultaneous mineralization of nitrogen which is in excess to that required by the microbial population.

When decomposition is virtually complete soil mineral nitrogen will be higher than it was initially due to mineralization of the plant residue nitrogen.

There are two mechanisms of nitrogen immobilization: Nitrogen accumulation in microbial biomass and accumulation of nitrogen in by-products of microbial activity. Nitrogen Accumulation in by-products of microbial activity nitrogen accumulation in decaying plant debris follows a two-phase mechanism. Following the initial leaching of soluble materials from fresh detritus, exoenzymes depolymerize the detritus substrate producing reactive carbohydrates, phenolics, small peptides, and amino acids, this is a period whereby microbial growth is rapid, with microbes converting substrate nitrogen and exogenous nitrogen into microbial biomass and exuded products of microbial activity.^{[citation needed]}

• Mineralization (soil science)
• Nitrogen cycle
• Nitrification

The dictionary definition of immobilization (soil science) at Wiktionary