ETIABO: Nutrient cycles- Phosphorus Cycle Flashcards
Nutrients are recycled within natural ecosystems, exemplified by the nitrogen cycle and the phosphorus cycle. Microorganisms play a vital role in recycling chemical elements such as phosphorus and nitrogen
What is a molecule?
A group of atoms bonded together.
What is a compound?
A type of molecule that contains more than one element.
In what form to plants take up phosphorus?
Phosphate
Plants absorb phosphate from the _____.
Soil
When organic matter dies, phosphate returns to the _____ through the break down by saprobionts.
Soil.
How do animals get phosphate from plants?
They consume them.
The waste of both plants and animals is broken down by ________, allowing phosphate to return to the soil.
Saprobionts.
Phosphate is not naturally found in the soil? Where is phsopahte naturally sourced from?
Rocks
How does naturally occuring phosphate enter the soil?
Rocks become eroded and break away- releasing phosphate into the soil.
(Mainly eroded through weather)
In soil, phosphate is dissolved by _____.
Water
How do new rocks form from phosphate dissolved in water?
- Phosphate dissolved in water will eventually reach larger bodies e.g. the sea.
- The phosphate will sink to the bottom of the sea.
- The phosphate over thousands of years will form new rocks.
