limetolerance

Limetolerance is the capacity of an organism or ecological system to endure environments with elevated lime content or high pH resulting from liming. The term is used across biology, ecology, soil science, and environmental biotechnology to describe tolerance to calcium-rich or carbonate-rich substrates, including lime-treated soils and calcareous waters.

In soils, liming raises soil pH and neutralizes acidity, altering nutrient solubility and availability. Species with limetolerance can maintain growth and reproduction under higher pH and carbonate levels, whereas others show nutrient deficiencies (for example iron and manganese) or reduced uptake. Plant breeding and management often aim to match crop tolerance to expected pH conditions or use lime to adjust soil pH to a target range.

Beyond plants, limetolerance is found in microbes and aquatic organisms that inhabit carbonate-rich or alkaline environments. Alkaliphiles, certain bacteria and archaea, thrive at high pH; in freshwater and marine ecosystems, carbonate rocks and limestone influence community composition and carbonate chemistry.

Measuring limetolerance typically involves exposing organisms or substrates to gradients of lime concentration or pH and recording metrics such as germination rate, growth rate, biomass, or survival. In soils, limetolerance can be inferred from crop performance, nutrient status, and yield under calibrated liming programs.

Applications of limetolerance knowledge include agriculture on acidic soils, bioremediation of alkaline waste streams, and ecological restoration of calcareous habitats. Poorly studied in some taxa, limetolerance remains an area of interest for understanding adaptation to carbonate-rich environments.