Transcript Phosphorous
Phosphorus http://mac122.icu.ac.jp/gen-ed/ecosystem-jpgs/phosphoruscycle.jpg Biogeochemical Cycle Phosphorus Phosphorus is a vital nutrient necessary for plants and animals in the form of PO43- and HPO42-. Phosphorus is the building block of important parts of the body such as bones and teeth. About 80% of the world’s phosphorus is used in fertilizers and soft drinks. Phosphorus does not entre the atmosphere it stays in rocks and soil minerals. Phosphorus Unlike other cycles of matter compounds, phosphorus cannot be found in atmosphere as a gas. It usually cycles through water, soil, and sediments. Phosphorous Cycle First phosphorus is eroded off of rocks and deposited in the soil. Now in the soil, phosphorus is absorbed into the clay and other organic material within the soil. Next plants dissolve the ionized phosphates in the soil. Then the phosphates are absorbed by herbivores when they consume the plants and then into carnivores when they eat the herbivores. Finally phosphorus is deposited back into the soil when plants and animals decay or through animal waste. http://www.enviroliteracy.org/images/page-spec//phoscycle2.gif 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 Work cited Ophardt, Charles E. "Phosphorus Cycle." Virtual Chembook. 2003. Elmhurst College. 17 Nov. 2008 <http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/308phosphorus.html>. "Phosphorus Cycle." Environmental Impacts of Agriculture. Princeton. 17 Nov. 2008 <http://www.princeton.edu/~chm333/2003/agriculture/phosphoruscycle.htm>. "Phosphorus Cycle." Science Online. 25 Oct. 2006. 17 Nov. 2008 <http://www.scionline.org/index.php/phosphorus_cycle>. "Phosphorus Cycle." The Environmental Literacy Council. 2 Mar. 2008. The Environmental Literacy Council. 17 Nov. 2008 <http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/480.html>. "Phosphorus." Water Shedss. 1976. University of North Carolina. 17 Nov. 2008 <http://www.water.ncsu.edu/watershedss/info/phos.html>. Winstead, Ray L. "Phosphorus Biogeochemical Cycle." Dr. Ray L Winstead. 3 Aug. 2005. 17 Nov. 2008 <http://nsm1.nsm.iup.edu/rwinstea/phosphorus.shtm>.