Pathway of Phosphorous Movement
The phosphorous cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of phosphorus throughout the hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere. Unlike the carbon, oxygen, water, and nitrogen cycles, the atmosphere doesn't play as much of a significant role as do other cycle (because phosphorous-based compounds are usually solid).
The phosphorous cycle reflects the relationship between organisms and all the abiotic and biotic factors in the ecosystem. Phosphate moves quickly through plants and animals, but moves very slow when traveling though water and soil, making the phosphate cycle one of the slowest biological cycles. The cycle begins when phosphate weathers from rocks and minerals and is eroded and leached from terrestrial environments. In the soil, the phosphate becomes absorbed and immobilized into various surfaces and particles. Plants and fungi are also active in making a soluble phosphorous. Phosphorous is never found in a vaporous state of matter, as it only occurs in highly reducing conditions, as in PH3 (phosphine). The phosphorous cycle, instead of running like a “normal” cycle and replenishing the element, loses a great deal of phosphorous during the duration of the cycle, much of which ends up on the bottom of bodies of water instead of returning to the soil. This is one of the reasons farmers have the need to artificially replenish the nutrients in the land.
The phosphorous cycle reflects the relationship between organisms and all the abiotic and biotic factors in the ecosystem. Phosphate moves quickly through plants and animals, but moves very slow when traveling though water and soil, making the phosphate cycle one of the slowest biological cycles. The cycle begins when phosphate weathers from rocks and minerals and is eroded and leached from terrestrial environments. In the soil, the phosphate becomes absorbed and immobilized into various surfaces and particles. Plants and fungi are also active in making a soluble phosphorous. Phosphorous is never found in a vaporous state of matter, as it only occurs in highly reducing conditions, as in PH3 (phosphine). The phosphorous cycle, instead of running like a “normal” cycle and replenishing the element, loses a great deal of phosphorous during the duration of the cycle, much of which ends up on the bottom of bodies of water instead of returning to the soil. This is one of the reasons farmers have the need to artificially replenish the nutrients in the land.