Phosphorus Cycle

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Phosphorus Cycle
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Phosphorus

• P is a vital nutrient necessary for plants and
  animals.
• It is the building block of important parts of
  the body such as DNA, RNA, cell membranes, bones
  and teeth.
• About 80 of the worlds phosphorus is used in
  fertilizers and soft drinks.

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Phosphorus

• Unlike other cycles of matter compounds,
  phosphorus cannot be found in atmosphere as a
  gas.
• It usually cycles through water, soil, and
  sediments.

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  Lectures/chapter46/videos_animations/phos_anim.htm
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Phosphorous Cycle

• 1. P is eroded from rocks and deposited in the
  soil.
• 2. Plants get P from the soil.
• 3. It is absorbed by herbivores (when they
  consume the plants) and then by carnivores (when
  they eat the herbivores.)
• 4. Deposited back into the soil when
  plants/animals decay or through animal waste.

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http//www.enviroliteracy.org/images/page-spec//ph
oscycle2.gif
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Human Effects

• The mining of phosphate ores for fertilizer
  affects the time cycle of the phosphorus cycle.
• Mining results in the premature release of
  phosphates into the cycle which can cause an
  abundance of algae to form and cause hypoxia.
• Normal levels of Phosphorus in surface water .01
  to .03 mg/l