Phosphates

• Complete store labels

  A) Phosphate rocks

  B) Dissolved phosphates in soil and aquatic habitats

  C) Plants

  D) Animals

  E) Dead Organic Matter

  F) Regolith

  G) Marine Sediments

  
• Complete process labels

  A) weathering

  B) erosion

  C) uplift/sedimentation

  D) weathering

  E) root absorption

  F) death

  G) decomposition

  H) sedimentation (sinking)

  
• Complete types of phosphate labels

  A) dust, broken rock

  B) ATP, DNA, RNA, cell membranes and proteins

  C) bone

  
• Phosphorus is more likely to be the limiting factor in biological processes than many other nutrients because most compounds of phosphorus have low solubility (smaller supply in soil water, rivers, lakes or oceans) and no gaseous form (slow)
• Root absorption

  Plants are not effective at absorbing phosphates so must have a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi - extensive networks of fungal hyphae increase surface area for absorption.
• Decomposition

  The breakdown of phosphorylated proteins in dead organic matter, releasing phosphates that are often made more soluble by soil microbes to be absorbed by plants.
• Sedimentation

  The phosphorus in organisms that die and sink to the ocean floor and/or get incorporated into sediments may no longer be available to other organisms. This reduces productivity of the surface waters of oceans as the phosphorus availability is a limiting factor.
• Mountain building and weathering

  Processes that mobilise phosphorus and make it available again to living organisms are slow. The phosphorus in marine sediments may not become available again until continental drift forms new mountain ranges and weathering rocks releases the phosphates.
• Human impacts

  • Phosphate mining
  • Fertilisers
  • Grey water
• Phosphate mining

  This has the same impacts as in the Lithosphere.

  • Land use - area mined destroys habitat and overburden must be put somewhere
  • Air pollution - radioactive dust causes respiratory problems and reduces light for photosynthesis
  • Loss of habitat=loss of biodiversity
  • Radioactive spoil
• Fertilisers

  • Eutrophication - leaching into water bodies causes algal blooms and habitat extinction. Increases cost of water treatment if drinking water is contaminated. Grey water can also contain fertilisers leading to eutrophication.
  • Waste product in gyp stacks is radioactive.
• Grey water

  • Eutrophication - leaching into water bodies causes algal blooms and habitat extinction.

  - pollutes drinking water so it is more expensive to extract and treat to use.

  - general pollution from detergents and sewage
• Reducing human impacts

  Mining

  • water treatment - ion exchange and sedimentation
  • Same as reducing impacts of mineral exploitation
• Reducing human impacts

  Fertilisers

  • channels to redirect runoff e.g. drainage ditches
  • buffer strip
  • low use of fertiliser
  • use organic fertiliser
• Reducing human impacts

  Grey water

  • use it in irrigation as a fertiliser
  • reuse it e.g in toilets
  • water treatment to make it potable - ion exchange and sedimentation