Phosphorus retention by soil minerals (e.g., adsorption onto iron and aluminum oxyhydroxides in acidic soils and precipitation onto calcite in neutral-to-calcareous soils) is usually viewed as the most important process in controlling terrestrial P-bioavailability in the mineral soil. This process can lead to the low level of dissolved phosphorus concentrations in soil solution. Various physiological strategies are used by plants and microorganisms for obtaining phosphorus from this low level of phosphorus concentration.
In mineral soils, phosphorus retention by minerals (such as adsorption onto iron and aluminum oxyhydroxides in acidic soils or precipitation onto calcite in neutral-to-calcareous soils) is typically seen as the key process controlling phosphorus bioavailability. This leads to low levels of dissolved phosphorus in the soil solution, prompting plants and microorganisms to develop various physiological strategies for obtaining phosphorus from this limited source.