Phosphorus Cycle

Introduction

Phosphorus refers to a vital ingredient for all living things. It’s a crucial nucleic acid component, such as DNA and phospholipids, which make up our cell membranes. It also makes up our bones’ supporting components as calcium phosphate. In nature, the phosphorus cycle is frequently limited—that is, when a nutrient is in low supply and development is restricted—and this is especially true in aquatic and freshwater environments.

Phosphorus Cycle Definition

In comparison to other biochemical processes such as the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles, the phosphorus cycle is sluggish. Phosphate ions are the most common type of phosphorus in nature. Growing plants and animals, as well as soil bacteria, rely on phosphorus for their health, but with time, phosphorus levels in the soil decrease. The primary biological role of phosphorus is to aid in the production of nucleotides, which are the building blocks of DNA and RNA molecules.

The phosphorus cycle is a long one since different weather conditions aid in the washing of phosphorus from rocks into the soil. Plants may absorb phosphorus compounds from the soil, which can subsequently be transferred to animals who consume those plants. When plants and animals generate waste or die, phosphorus is picked up by detritivores and returned to the soil. Phosphorus-containing substances can be carried by surface runoff into rivers, lakes, and oceans, where they are devoured by aquatic animals.

As phosphorus-containing compounds from the bodies or wastes of marine organisms sink to the ocean’s floor, new sedimentary layers are created. Uplift is a geological phenomenon that may transport phosphorus-rich sedimentary rock from the sea to the land over long periods of time. This is, however, a time-consuming process.

Phosphorus Cycle Steps 

Following are the important steps of the phosphorus cycle:

• Weathering
• Absorption by Plants
• Absorption by Animals
• Return to the Environment through Decomposition

Phosphorus is transferred from soil to plants and animals through the land-based cycle. It is then returned to the soil. The water-based cycle, on the other hand, circulates phosphorus among aquatic species.

Weathering

Phosphorus is a mineral that may be found primarily in rocks. To account for this, the phosphorus cycle starts in the earth’s crust. The rock’s phosphate salts are broken down in the process. These salts are washed down into the soil and mixed in with it.

Absorption by Plants

The plants absorb the phosphate salts dissolved in water. The quantity of phosphorus in the soil, on the other hand, is extremely low. This is why farmers use phosphate fertilisers on their farmland. Bacteria that break down organic materials to inorganic forms of phosphorus can make organic forms of phosphate available to plants in the soil. Mineralisation is the term for this process.

Inorganic phosphorus is absorbed by aquatic plants from the lowest layers of water bodies. Because phosphate salts do not dissolve correctly in water, they have an impact on plant development in aquatic settings.

Absorption by Animals

Phosphorus is absorbed by the animals from plants or from plant-eating animals. Plants and animals move through the phosphorus cycle at a quicker rate than rocks. P is absorbed partially from the large intestine in horses and partially from the forestomachs in ruminant species. The structure of the brush border’s potential phosphate-sodium carrier from enterocytes is yet unknown.