Phosphorus cycle! Flashcards
What are the reservoirs of phosphorus?
Lithosphere (rocks and soils)Hydrosphere (water bodies)
Biosphere (plants and animals)
Sediments
What is weathering in the phosphorus cycle?
When Rain or water breaks down the rocks and minerals that contain phosphorus
what is absorption in the phosphorus cycle?
When the phosphate salts dissolved in water are absorbed by plants
What is consumption in the phosphorus cycle?
when plants with phosphate is consumed by animals, thus entering the food web
what is decomposition in the phosphorus cycle?
when plants and animals die, and are decomposed by microorganisms. The organic form of phosphorus is converted and recycled to soil and water
what is runoff in the phosphorus cycle?
phosphorus that was leached from phosphate rock by weathering flows into into water bodies
what is sedimentation in the phosphorus cycle?
when Phosphorus- containing compounds from the bodies or wastes of marine organisms sink to the floor of the ocean to form new sedimentary layers.
What are the biological components?
Bacteria and Decomposers: break down organic material and release phosphorus into soil and water
Plants: Absorbed through the roots
Animals: Through Consumption of plants
What are the non-biological components of the phosphorus cycle?
Weathering
runoff
sedimentation
What are the different forms that phosphorus exists in?
Rocks: Phosphate minerals
Soil & Water: Dissolved inorganic phosphate
Organisms: biomolecules like RNA and DNA ORGANIC
What are the Abiotic forms?
- Phosphate minerals in Rocks
- Dissolved phosphate ions in soil and water
- Sedimentary Phosphorus
What are the biotic forms?
Nucleic Acids (DNA, RNA)
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
Phospholipids
How do fertilizers impact the phosphorus cycle?
Excessive phosphorus in fertilizers can run off into water bodies, leading to eutrophication—overgrowth of algae that depletes oxygen and harms aquatic life.
how does Deforestation and Land Use Changes impact the phosphorus cycle?
Can disrupt the natural phosphorus flow by altering soil composition and increasing runoff.
what impact does mining have on the phosphorus cycle?
Extracting phosphate rock for fertilizer reduces natural phosphorus reservoirs and can disturb ecosystems.
