Abstract
There is increasing interest in how the application of biochar to soils influences nutrient transformations in agricultural, forest, and reclamation settings. Changes in nutrient turnover rates and patterns in biochar-amended soils are related both to the direct nutrient additions associated with the biochar as well as the indirect influence of biochar on the microbial community through the alteration of physical and biochemical properties of amended soils. This chapter summarizes the literature addressing the mechanisms by which biochar soils influence plant nutrient availability and specifically its influence on transformations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), magnesium (Mg) manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn). The chapter ends with a brief overview of how biochar alters nutrient cycles across a range of ecosystems and a discussion of potential future research directions.