Which nutrient is often mineralized during decomposition?
During nitrogen mineralization, decomposers convert nitrogen in proteins, nucleic acids, and other organic compounds into ammonium. Ammonification can be followed by nitrification, in which specialized microorganisms oxidize ammonium to nitrite and nitrate under oxic conditions. Plants and microbes can then take up these inorganic forms, while some nitrogen may be lost by leaching or denitrification. Net release occurs only when substrate nitrogen exceeds microbial requirements; carbon-rich litter can instead cause temporary nitrogen immobilization. At ecosystem scale, these reactions regulate
Ref: Fundamentals of Ecology, Odum & Barrett, 5th Ed., Ch. 3