The Phosphorus Cycle

Wind and rain erode

Phosphate rich rocks

Weathering and Erosion

Marine animals
Plants and trees absorb phosporus
Fertilizer runoff
Animals eat plants
Marine plants

Dissolved Phosphate

Soil Sediments

Leaching into water bodies from soil

Phosphate rock formation
 What is Phosphorus?

 Phosphorus needed by animals and plants to grow

but before living things can consume such nutrients,
phosphorus came from phosphate rich rocks which
were washed off by rain and distributed to soil and
water bodies.
 When phosphorus moves through biosphere,
hydrosphere and lithosphere, it’s called Phosphorus
Cycle.
The process of Phosphorus cycle steps:

A. Weather
 Phosphorus came from phosphate
rich rocks in which the event weather
like rain or other form of erosion,
distributed to the soil and then into
the bodies of water.
B. Absorption by Animals and Plants
 When the phosphorus is in the soil,
plants, animals, microorganism and fungi
may absorb the nutrients for their
growth. Washed up phosphorus into the
sea can also be consumed by sea plants
and fish.
C. Return to the soil
 When plants and animals died, their
phosphorus goes back to the
environment via water or soil. Plants and
animals can again consume this
phosphorus. Second step of the cycle is
repeated.
D. Human impact
 Humans have had a significant impact on the
phosphorus cycle due to a variety of human activities
like farming. Fertilizers containing phosphorus add to
the phosphorus levels in the soil. When levels of
phosphorus are too high, the overabundance of plant
nutrients serves to drive the excessive growth
of algae. If these algae die, they can become toxic to
the living things. Human activities serve to harm the
aquatic ecosystems whenever excess amount of
phosphorus mixed into the water.
Thank you