Phosphorus Cycle

-Sarah Veilleux, Haris Quershi, Teddy Sauyet Phosphorus Cycle

We’ll start with the beginning • It starts with the rocks, the sedimentary ones. They have the phosphorus, in a form called apatite, which also goes by its alter ego, Ca5(PO4)3OH. This is where most phosphorus is found.

*Note The sedimentary rocks merely add phosphorus to the cycle, they are not actually part of the cycle. Like this:

Ignoring that… • The sedimentary rocks will then weather down from storms and such which move the apatite into the soil. This also releases phosphate ions (PO4).

Now for the fun part.. • The plants then use the phosphorus in their reproductive structures, such as DNA and RNA. It actually binds them together!

So what if there is a lot of phosphorus? • OVERGROWTH. • Also, overgrowth tending to weedy species. These species consume large amounts of oxygen, choking other plants and fish! This is called eutrophication. • Not just above the ground, their roots will also grow large! This is why many fertilizers today use phosphorus. They acquire this phosphorus through the mining of calcium phosphate.

Then animals, like us, eat the plants! • And the phosphorus goes through the food chain. Did you know that 80% of the human body's phosphate is found in teeth and bones?

The animals then produce scat. • Which goes back into the cycle, starting with the soil!! Or, they could just die & decompose. • (Censored because its impossible to find an appropriate picture googling “scat”

However.. • Sometimes, due to run off, phosphorus enters areas of water!!! What happens now???

Well, it's not that exciting... • It just goes through the marine food chain.

BUT • It might eventually settle to the bottom, where it becomes trapped in layers of sedimentary rock!!

For 100 THOUSAND Years!! • Or until it is brought back to the surface by geologic forces. Long long time.

Phosphorus Cycle