Phosphorus cycle

Dr. Sabbir Rahman Shuvo

1 Lecture 2,
 2 Learning objectives

Geochemical view
Ecological view Natural form of P
Phosphorus cycle &
& Soil view (orthophosphate)
Biological view

Microbial
Human influence Biological
influence of P
of P cycle importance of P
cycle
3 Overview

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5KqwhX1dvk
 Introduction
4

 The phosphorus cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of
phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.

 The phosphorus cycle may also be referred to as the mineral cycle or sedimentary
cycle.

 Unlike the other cycles, phosphorus cannot be found in air in the gaseous state.

 The phosphorus cycle is the SLOWEST cycle.

 The atmosphere does not play a significant role in the movement of phosphorus,
because phosphorus and phosphorus-based compounds are usually solids at the
typical ranges of temperature and pressure found on Earth.

 On the land, phosphorus (chemical symbol, P) gradually becomes less available to

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 Low concentration of P in soils reduces plant growth and slows soil microbial growth.

 Soil microorganisms act as both sinks and sources of available P in the

biogeochemical cycle.

 Locally, transformations of P are chemical, biological and microbiological: the

major long-term transfers in the global cycle, however, are driven
by tectonic movements in geologic time.

 Humans have caused major changes to the global P cycle through shipping of P
minerals, and use of P fertilizer, and the shipping of food from farms to cities,
where it is lost as effluent.
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Phosphorous
cycle
7
 Phosphate salts that are released from rocks through weathering usually
dissolve in soil and water and will be absorbed by plants.

 Animals absorb phosphates by eating plants or plant-eating animals.

 When animals and plants die, phosphates will return to the soils or
oceans again during decomposition.

 After that, phosphorus will end up in sediments or rock formations again,

remaining there for millions of years. Eventually, phosphorus is released
again through weathering and the cycle starts over.
8 Phosphorus cycle

 In the cycle, soil soluble P is placed in the central position, and the P cycle
is divided into two subcycles:
 A biological one in which pools are defined in terms of biological
constituents or stability and transfers are primarily microbial mediated.
 And a geochemical subcycle in which pools are defined in terms of
chemical or mineralogical composition and transfers are primarily
abiotic.
 9 A GEOLOGICAL VIEW OF THE PHOSPHORUS
CYCLE
 The phosphorus cycle occurs when phosphorus moves from land to sediments in the
seas and then back to land again.
 The main storage for phosphorus is in the earth’s shell. On land phosphorus is usually
found in the form of phosphates.
 By the process of weathering and erosion phosphates enter rivers and streams that
transport them to the ocean.
 Once in the ocean, the phosphorus accumulates on continental shelves in the form
of insoluble deposits.
 After millions of years, the crustal plates rise from the sea floor and expose the
phosphates on land.
 After more time, weathering will release them from rock and the cycle's geochemical
phase begins again.
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Biological
cycle of P

ECOSYSTEM SOIL-BASED
VIEW VIEW
11 AN ECOSYSTEM VIEW OF THE PHOSPHORUS
CYCLE
 The ecosystem phase of the phosphorus cycle moves faster than the geological phase.

All organisms require phosphorus for synthesizing phospholipids, NADPH, ATP, nucleic
acids, and other compounds.
 Plants absorb phosphorus very quickly, and then herbivores get phosphorus by eat
plants.
 Then carnivores get phosphorus by eating herbivores. Eventually both of these
organisms will excrete phosphorus as a waste.
 This decomposition will release phosphorus into the soil. Plants absorb the phosphorus
from the soil, and they recycle it within the ecosystem.
 12 A SOIL-BASED VIEW OF THE PHOSPHORUS
CYCLE
 Initially, phosphate weathers from rocks. The small losses in a terrestrial
system caused by leaching through the action of rain are balanced in the gains
from weathering rocks.
 In soil, phosphate is absorbed on clay surfaces and organic matter particles
and becomes incorporated (immobilized). Plants dissolve ionized forms of
phosphate. Herbivores obtain phosphorus by eating plants, and carnivores by
eating herbivores.
 Herbivores and carnivores excrete phosphorus as a waste product in urine and
feces. Phosphorus is released back to the soil when plants or animal matter
decomposes and the cycle repeats.
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 NATURE AND FORMS OF PHOSPHORUS IN SOIL
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NATURAL FORMS OF PHOSPHORUS IN SOIL 14

 Highly weathered soils may have very little P, while

weakly weathered soils and those soils formed
from alkaline parent materials may have high P
contents.
 The chemical weathering of apatite results in
the release of orthophosphate (H2PO4 ,HPO42-)
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NATURAL FORMS OF PHOSPHORUS IN SOIL
 A very little orthophosphate (PO43−) is present in soil solution at any one
time (0.1 to 1 μgg-1) .
 Soluble P rapidly precipitates as iron and aluminum phosphates in acid
soils or as calcium phosphates in alkaline soils or absorbed clay mineral
surfaces.
 The optimum availability of orthophosphate occurs at a soil pH of
approximately 6.5, at which aluminum and calcium precipitation is at a
minimum.
 When P is added to soil as a soluble salt (fertilizer), it becomes fixed or
bound to the extent that very little of the added P is re-extractable with
water.
 After decomposition of soil biota, P returns back to the soil.
17 Biological Importance of the Phosphorus
 Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plants and animals
 It is a part of DNA-molecules and RNA-molecules, molecules that store
energy (ATP and ADP), Phospholipids that makes cell membrane
 Phosphorus is also a building block of certain parts of the human and
animal body, such as the bones and teeth.
 Phosphorus constitutes about 1% of the total body mass.
 It may be stored in intracellular granules as polyphosphates in both
prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
18 Microbiological transformation of
phosphorous
 The major transformations of phosphorus in aquatic environments are
described below :
 Mineralization
 Assimilation.
 Microbial solubilization of insoluble forms of phosphorus.
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Microbiological transformation of phosphorous

Mineralization :
 Organically bound P is not directly available to organisms because it cannot
be absorbed into cells in this form. For cellular uptake to occur, P must first
be released from the organic molecule through mineralization.
 Organic phosphorus compounds (e.g., phytin, inositol phosphates, nucleic
acids, phospholipids) are mineralized to orthophosphate by a wide range
of microorganisms that include bacteria (e.g., B. subtilis, Arthrobacter),
Actinomycetes (e.g., Streptomyces), and fungi (e.g., Aspergillus, Penicillium).
 Phosphatases are the enzymes responsible for degradation of phosphorus
compounds.
 Microbiological transformation of phosphorous
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Assimilation :
 Soil microorganisms can cause fixation or immobilization of P, either by
promoting the formation of inorganic precipitates or by assimilation
into organic cell constituents or intracellular polyphosphate granules.
 In soils and freshwater sediments, cellular immobilization is important,
though fixation of P by Ca2+, Al3+, or Fe3+ has been observed.
 Microorganisms are indirectly involved in phosphorite precipitation by –
 Making reactive phosphate available,
 By making reactive calcium available,
 by creating or maintaining the environmental conditions that
favor phosphate precipitation.
 Microbiological transformation of
21 phosphorous
Microbial Solubilization of Insoluble Forms of Phosphorus:
 The low solubility of P in soils makes it one of the major nutrients limiting plant growth.
Frequent applications of soluble forms of P are needed, more than really necessary,
because only a fraction is used by plants while the rest rapidly forms insoluble complexes.
 Phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms are suspected to convert the insoluble rock
phosphates into soluble forms through the processes of acidification, chelation, and
exchange reactions.
 Aspergillus niger produced citrate, oxalate, and gluconate and suggested that organic
acid production may be an important mechanism for solubilizing aluminum phosphates,
 Other organisms, such as Penicillium sp. and Pseudomonas sp. were effective at
solubilizing aluminum or calcium phosphates without producing organic acids. Proton
release associated with respiration or ammonium assimilation was proposed as the
mechanism responsible.
 Organic acids produced in the rhizosphere by plant roots and associated
microorganisms may act as chelating agents. These organic chelates form complexes
with Ca, Fe, or Al, thereby releasing the phosphates to solution.
 Human Impacts on the Phosphorus Cycle
22
 Like nitrogen, increased use of fertilizers increases phosphorus runoff into our waterways and
contributes to eutrophication.

 Humans have greatly influenced the P cycle by mining P, converting it to fertilizer, and by
shipping fertilizer and products around the globe.

 Transporting P in food from farms to cities has made a major change in the global P cycle.

 Waters are enriched in P from farms run off, and from effluent that is inadequately treated before it is
discharged to waters.

 Natural eutrophication is a process by which lakes gradually age and become more productive and
may take thousands of years to progress.

 Cultural or anthropogenic eutrophication, however, is water pollution caused by excessive plant

nutrients, which results in excessive growth in algae population.
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Human Impacts on the Phosphorus Cycle

 Surface and subsurface runoff and erosion from high-P soils may be major
contributing factors to fresh water eutrophication.
 The processes controlling soil P release to surface runoff and to subsurface
flow are a complex interaction between the type of P input, soil type and
management, and transport processes depending on hydrological conditions.
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25 Model questions:

 What is a phosphorus cycle?

 What is the biological and geological phosphorus cycles?
 What are the geological, ecological and soil views of phosphorus cycle?
 What is the nature form of phosphorus in soil?
 What is biological importance of the phosphorus ?
 Phosphorus can be modified by microorganisms to use for the plants-
Describe the process.
 What are the human impact on phosphorus cycle?