Phosphorus
By Alyssa May White
Phosphorus Cycle
The most unique element of the Phosphorus Cycle is that, unlike all major cycles, it lacks a gas phase.
In the phosphorus cycle on land, the cycle begins within sedimentary rock. Rain moves the phosphorus from the rocks to the soil, where it is picked up by plants. Animals eat the plants and absorb the phosphorus. Phosphorus is then returned to the soil via the excretion of the animal.
In the aquatic phosphorus cycle, phosphorus begins in runoff. Aquatic life most frequently gains access to phosphorus through erosion. Phosphorus is unable to cling to the water, so it usually settles at the bottom of a body of water. Water plants take in the phosphate and it travels up the aquatic food chain as it does the land food chain.
Phosphorus is also released back into the environment when organisms that have absorbed phosphorus in both the land and aquatic cycles die and decompose.
Reservoirs
Chemical Reactions
Movement
Human Impact
Resources
"Chemical Reactions." The Phosphorus Cycle. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Website
"The Phosphorus Cycle - Boundless Open Textbook." Boundless. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Website
"Phosphorus Cycle - The Environmental Literacy Council." The Environmental Literacy Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Website
"Quizlet QWait('dom',function(){document.getElementById('PrintLogo').setAttribute('src',"https://quizlet.com/a/i/global/logo_print.du83.png")});." APES Flashcards. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.