The Phosphorus

Cycle

Tr is h a Ca ilin g
Introduction
PHOSPHORUS

Phosphorus is a chemical element found on Earth in numerous compound

forms, such as the phosphate ion (PO43), located in water, soil and
sediments. The quantities of phosphorus in soil are generally small, and
this often limits plant growth. That is why people often apply phosphate
fertilizers on farmland. Animals absorb phosphates by eating plants or
plant-eating animals.

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The Phosphorus Cycle

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The role of phosphorus in animals
and plants

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for

animals and plants. It plays a critical role
in cell development and is a key
c o m p o n e n t o f m o l e c u l e s t h a t s t o r e e n e r g y,
s u c h a s AT P ( a d e n o s i n e t r i p h o s p h a t e ) , D N A
and lipids (fats and oils). Insufficient
phosphorus in the soil can result in a
decreased crop yield.

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Phosphorus availability and unavailability to plants

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 The availability of phosphorus in soil to plants
depends of several reversible pathways:

Bacteria Adsorption pH
Bacteria convert plant- Inorganic phosphorus
available phosphate into Inorganic (and
available) phosphorus compounds need to be
organic forms that are soluble to be taken up by
then not available to can be chemically
bound (adsorbed) to plants. This depends on the
plants. Although other acidity (pH) of the soil. If
bacteria make phosphate soil particles, making it
unavailable to plants. soils are less than pH 4 or
available by greater than pH 8, the
mineralization, the Desorption is the
release of adsorbed phosphorus starts to
contribution of this is become tied up with other
small. phosphorus from its
bound state into soil compounds, making it less
solution. available to plants.

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Thank you