Partial dissolution of the inorganic (apatite) fraction of flesh-free fish (Perca sp.) cheek-bone material, added to P-free (<0.001 μg∙ml −1 total P) nutrient media as bone chips with a particle-size distribution of <250 μm, supported considerable populations of algae and bacteria at slightly alkaline pH levels and relatively low slurry densities (1–1000 μg∙ml −1 ). Bacteria and algae rapidly colonized the apatitic bone material and produced extracellular material in response to growth on bone surfaces. Acidic filtrates from bacterial cultures, aerobically or anaerobically cultivated in apatite media, readily solubilized bone material as indicated by increases in soluble ortho-PO 4 3− concentrations after short exposure periods. Water extraction of bone apatite crystals showed that fish bones are sparingly soluble in lake water. Microbially mediated dissolution of bone material by acid end-products of bacterial metabolism would therefore greatly increase the rate of bone dissolution in nature. Regeneration of allochthonous-P from fish-bone dissolution may contribute significantly to the P-cycle of many aquatic ecosystems.
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Smith et al. (1977) studied this question.