Knowra Phosphorus cycle Phosphorus cycle The phosphorus cycle is the movement of phosphorus among rocks, soils, water, and organisms through weathering, biological uptake, decomposition, and sedimentation. Unlike carbon and nitrogen cycles, it has no major gaseous phase.
Phosphate : A family of phosphorus-containing ions, especially orthophosphate, that organisms absorb and use. Weathering releases phosphate, the form plants and microbes commonly take up.
Phosphorus fertilizer : A soil amendment that supplies phosphorus, commonly in forms derived from phosphate rock. Fertilizer adds mined phosphorus to fields faster than natural weathering does.
Phosphorus limitation : A condition in which phosphorus availability constrains biological growth or ecosystem productivity. Slow phosphorus release often limits growth in freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems.
Nitrogen cycle : The movement of nitrogen among the atmosphere, organisms, soils, and waters through biological and chemical transformations. Unlike phosphorus, nitrogen has a large atmospheric reservoir and a major gaseous phase.
Rock weathering : The physical breakdown and chemical alteration of rock at or near Earth's surface. Weathering releases phosphorus from minerals into soils and waters.
Eutrophication : Excess nutrient enrichment of water that promotes algal growth and can deplete dissolved oxygen. Runoff carrying phosphorus can trigger algal blooms and oxygen loss.
Redfield ratio : The approximate atomic ratio of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in marine plankton and deep-ocean nutrients: 106:16:1. The ratio reveals phosphorus's relationship to carbon and nitrogen in marine production.
Carbon cycle : The movement of carbon among the atmosphere, oceans, land, rocks, and organisms. Carbon cycles rapidly through the atmosphere, while phosphorus lacks a comparable gaseous route.
Plant nutrient uptake : The absorption of mineral nutrients by plants through their roots or, in some cases, leaves. Plants draw dissolved phosphate from soil and water into food webs.
Agricultural runoff : Water flowing from farmland that transports soil, nutrients, pesticides, or other materials into waterways. It carries fertilizer and eroded phosphorus from fields into lakes and rivers.
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