THE PHOSPHORUS CYCLE

IMPRTANCE OF PHOSPHORUS

• One of the most important mineral required by plants

and animals
• Complexes with calcium to give rigidity to bones and
teeth
• An integral part of many inorganic compounds, plays
important role in energy and protein metabolism
• Affects protein synthesis, lean deposition in growing
animals
• After nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) is the second most
limiting macronutrient
• Phosphorus is essential to the energetics, genetics,
and structure of living systems

• Phosphorus forms part of the ATP, RNA, DNA, and

phospholipid molecules

• Because of great biological importance, phosphorus

is not very abundant in the biosphere

• Consequently, phosphorus cycling has received a

great deal of attention from ecosystem ecologists
 PHOSPHORUS CYCLE
• The phosphorus cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that
describes the movement of phosphorus through the
lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere

• Unlike many other biogeochemical cycles, 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
COMPARISON WITH OTHER CYCLES

• In contrast to carbon and nitrogen, the global

phosphorus cycle does not include a substantial
atmospheric pool

• The largest quantities of phosphorus occur in mineral

deposits and marine sediments

• Sedimentary rocks that are especially rich in

phosphorus are mined for fertilizer and applied to
agricultural soil
 CYCLING PHASES

Released by Rock Weathering

• Soil contain much quantities of phosphorus in the form
of inorganic as well as organic compounds

• Element phosphorus (P) is released in the form of

ionic phosphate (PO4)

• Phosphorus is slowly released to the terrestrial and

aquatic ecosystems through the weathering of rocks
UPTAKE BY PLANTS AND ANIMALS

• Soil microorganisms play a vital role in altering the

solubility of phosphates- they solubilize the insoluble
phosphates, available to plants

• As phosphorus is released from the mineral deposits,

it is absorbed by plants and recycled within the
ecosystems

• Mycorrhizae generally play a key role in the uptake

of phosphorus by the plants in terrestrial ecosystems
• The animal uptake of phosphorus is only be done
through eating plants or plant eating animals

• Plants assimilate the inorganic phosphorus to form

different compounds of life like, DNA, RNA, ATP
etc.
 RELEASE OF PHOSPHORUS
• During weathering of rocks a lot of phosphorus is
washed into the rivers and eventually find its way to
the oceans

• In oceans, it will remain in dissolved form until

eventually finding its way to the ocean sediments

• Ocean sediments will eventually transformed into

phosphate bearing sedimentary rocks that through
geological uplift can form new land
• On the other hand, when plants ad animals die, their
bodies are decomposed by the microorganisms and
release phosphorus into the soil or ocean again by
erosion

• After the phosphorus will end up in sediments or

rocks formations again, remaining there for millions
of years

• Eventually the phosphorus is released again through

weathering and the cycle starts over

• Ecologists estimate that the mean residence time of

phosphorus in the biosphere is thousands of years
 EUTROPHICATION
– Excess phosphorus contributes to eutrophication
(Large increase in the primary productivity of a lake.
Eutrophication can be harmful to the natural balance
of a lake and result in massive death of fish and
other animals as dissolved oxygen levels are
depleted from the water)

– A major problem with the use of phosphorus in

fertilizers is the process of artificial eutrophication
 HUMAN IMPACTS
• Like nitrogen, increased use of fertilizers increases
phosphorus runoff into our waterways and contributes to
eutrophication

• Animal wastes or manure may also be applied to the land

as fertilizer

• If misapplied on frozen ground during the winter, much of

it may lost as run-off during the spring thaw

• In certain area very large feed lots of animals, may result in

excessive run-off of phosphate and nitrate into streams
 CUTTING AND BURNING
• As the forest is cut and/or burned, nutrients originally
stored in plants and rocks are quickly washed away
by heavy rains, causing the land to become
unproductive

Cutting and the burning of rainforests for household and agriculture purposes etc.
AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF
• Provides much of the phosphate found in waterways

• Crops often cannot absorb all of the fertilizer in the

soils, causing excess fertilizer runoff and increasing
phosphate levels in rivers and other bodies of water

• The phosphate in the water is eventually precipitated

as sediments at the bottom of the body of water

• In certain lakes and ponds this may be re-dissolved

and recycled as a problem nutrient