Will someone describe the flow of phosphorus through an ecosystem?
1 Answer
See below for the Phosphorus Cycle:
Explanation:
There is a cycle called the Phosphorus Cycle. Here's a graphic:
Let's follow the diagram:
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Phosphorus, which at this point in the Cycle is locked into rocks, gets weathered and released into water and soil as Phosphorus ions.
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Phosphorus ions are absorbed into plants (phosphorus is needed to help plants grow optimally). Animals can eat the plants and absorb the phosphorus, which makes its way into organic chemicals, like DNA.
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The plants and animals die and decompose, putting Phosphorus into the soil.
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Bacteria break down the compounds containing Phosphorus, creating Phosphorus ions that are available to plants (and therefore back to step 2).
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Eventually Phosphorus ends up in waterways and the ocean, ending up in sediment, which hardens to become sedimentary rock, which can then be weathered (and put us back at step 1).
