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 sands or certain granites), and long-term weathering that removes soluble minerals, leaving inert residues. Hydrological leaching, volcanic ash alteration, and acidification can also reduce base cations and micronutrients in the soil solution.

Implications for ecosystems include constrained primary productivity, shifts in plant community composition toward nutrient-resilient species, and increased reliance on mycorrhizal symbioses or nitrogen-fixing organisms. In agriculture, mineralpoor soils limit yields without external inputs such as fertilizers; management strategies may emphasize soil testing, targeted liming, and matched fertilization.

Assessment and monitoring rely on soil and tissue analyses, including concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, and micronutrients, as well as soil pH, cation exchange capacity, and base saturation. Remote sensing and ecological indicators can also help delineate mineralpoor regions.

While not a formal classification, mineralpoor is widely used to describe environments with limited mineral fertility. The term appears in academic literature as a descriptive descriptor and is applied across geology, soil science, ecology, and agronomy to explain constraints on productivity and nutrient cycling.