Transcript Phosphorus Cycle

Phosphorus Cycle
-Sarah Veilleux, Haris Quershi,
Teddy Sauyet
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.