mineralpoor
Mineralpoor is a term used in geology, soil science, and ecology to describe soils, landscapes, or ecosystems characterized by low availability of minerals and nutrients essential for plant and animal life. It denotes a relative scarcity of readily weatherable minerals or of soluble, plant-accessible nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and trace elements. The concept is used to contrast mineral-rich or fertile environments.
Causes include climate-driven leaching in humid regions, parental materials with low nutrient content (such as quartz-rich
Implications for ecosystems include constrained primary productivity, shifts in plant community composition toward nutrient-resilient species, and
Assessment and monitoring rely on soil and tissue analyses, including concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg,
While not a formal classification, mineralpoor is widely used to describe environments with limited mineral fertility.