The phosphorus cycle occurs between the land and the ocean sediments and it is interesting to note that there is not a gaseous state of phosphorus in the cycle.
Phosphorus is needed by living organisms because it is part of a nucleotide--the subunit which makes up DNA and RNA and it is also a component of ATP, an energy currency that cells use to perform work.
Inorganic phosphorus is released from rocks due to weathering...
The phosphorus cycle occurs between the land and the ocean sediments and it is interesting to note that there is not a gaseous state of phosphorus in the cycle.
Phosphorus is needed by living organisms because it is part of a nucleotide--the subunit which makes up DNA and RNA and it is also a component of ATP, an energy currency that cells use to perform work.
Inorganic phosphorus is released from rocks due to weathering and erosion. Plants can absorb it from the soil. Animals can obtain phosphorus by consuming plants and other animals. When anything dies, the process of decomposition returns phosphorus back to the soil. When running water erodes the soil, it carries phosphorus to the ocean sediments.
When humans mine phosphorus and use it to make plant fertilizer, it has changed the phosphorus cycle because when farmers apply fertilizer to their fields, it increases the level of phosphorus in an area which might not have had too much phosphorus to begin with. This can cause enrichment to occur in nearby bodies of water due to run off which transports excess phosphorus to the nearest body of water. The phosphorus acts as a fertilizer to the algae population. This can lead to algal blooms. The body of water quickly runs out of oxygen as bacteria begin to decompose dead organisms, including fish. The overall quality of the body of water becomes poor and the ecosystem is at risk of failing.
The use of organic wastes as fertilizer can add phosphorus to an area which will upset the delicate balance of this biogeochemical cycle.
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