Phosphorus Cycle

1. Phosphorus Cycle

2. Phosphorus • P is a vital nutrient necessary for plants and animals. • It is the building block of important parts of the body such as DNA, RNA, cell membranes, bones and teeth. • About 80% of the world’s phosphorus is used in fertilizers and soft drinks.

3. Phosphorus • Unlike other cycles of matter compounds, phosphorus cannot be found in atmosphere as a gas. • It usually cycles through water, soil, and sediments.

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5. Phosphorous Cycle 1. P is eroded from rocks and deposited in the soil. 2. Plants get P from the soil. 3. It is absorbed by herbivores (when they consume the plants) and then by carnivores (when they eat the herbivores.) 4. Deposited back into the soil when plants/animals decay or through animal waste.

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7. Human Effects • The mining of phosphate ores for fertilizer affects the time cycle of the phosphorus cycle. • Mining results in the premature release of phosphates into the cycle which can cause an abundance of algae to form and cause hypoxia. • Normal levels of Phosphorus in surface water .01 to .03 mg/l