Remineralization

In biogeochemistry, remineralisation (UK, US Spelling: remineralization) refers to the breakdown or transformation of organic matter (those molecules derived from a biological source) into its simplest inorganic forms. These transformations form a crucial link within ecosystems as they are responsible for liberating the energy stored in organic molecules and recycling matter within the system to be reused as nutrients by other organisms.

Remineralization is normally viewed as it relates to the cycling of the major biologically-important elements such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. While crucial to all ecosystems, the process receives special consideration in aquatic settings, where it forms a significant link in the biogeochemical dynamics and cycling of aquatic ecosystems.

The term "remineralization" is used in several contexts across different disciplines. The term is most commonly used in the medicinal and physiological fields, where it is describes the development or redevelopment of mineralized structures in organisms such as teeth or bone. In the field of biogeochemistry, however, remineralization is used to describe a link in the chain of elemental cycling within a specific ecosystem. In particular, remineralization represents the point where organic material constructed by living organisms is broken down into basal inorganic components that are not obviously identifiable as having come from an organic source. This differs from the process of decomposition which is a more general descriptor of larger structures degrading to smaller structures.

Biogeochemists study this process across all ecosystems for a variety of reasons. This is done primarily to investigate the flow of material and energy in a given system, which is key to understanding the productivity of that ecosystem along with how it recycles material versus how much is entering the system. Understanding the rates and dynamics of organic matter remineralization in a given system can help in determining how or why some ecosystems might be more productive than others.

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