Phosphorus is one of the major components in DNA.
Phosphorus unlike most other substance cycles is stored mostly in rocks not in the atmosphere.
Humans mess up this cycle by adding a lot of extra phosphorus where there was originally only a little. This causes extra growth of microorganisms that turn the water into a soupy mixture of disease.
Phosphorus is added back into the soil when things die and decay.
How does phosphorus get from the rocks to organisms?
ReplyDeleteWhen the rocks erode the plants can directly absorb the phosphorus
DeleteHow does the cycle work? What are the different "steps" of the cycle?
ReplyDeleteThe phosphorus is locked in the rocks, then broken down, absorbed by the plants, eaten by the animals then broken down into the soil to be reused when they are decomposed.
DeleteYour picture displays a very detailed version of the lesser known phosphorus cycle and is easy to learn. Nice job!
ReplyDelete