Phosphorus Cycle

• Phosphorus Cycle

  The biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere
• Phosphorus-based compounds are usually solids at the typical ranges of temperature and pressure found on earth
• Phosphorus - Essential for plant and animal growth, as well as the health of microbes inhabiting the soil.
• Main biological function of phosphorus

  Required for the formation of nucleotides, which comprise DNA and RNA molecules
• The phosphorus cycle is an extremely slow process, as various weather conditions (e.g. rain and erosion) help to wash the phosphorus found in rocks into the soil
• Phosphorus Cycle Steps

  1. Weathering - Extraction of phosphorus from rocks by weathering, resulting in phosphorus being washed into the soil

  2. Absorption by plants and animals - Plants, fungi, and microorganisms absorb phosphorus from the soil and water

  3. Return to the environment via decomposition - When plants and animals die, decomposition returns phosphorus back to the environment via the water or soil
• Human impact on the phosphorus cycle

  • Significant impact due to the use of fertilizer, the distribution of food products, and artificial eutrophication
  • Fertilizers containing phosphorus add to the phosphorus levels in the soil and are particularly detrimental when such products are washed into local aquatic ecosystems
• Phosphorus - Gradually depleted from the soil over time