Chirag Tamboli Jacob Wall

What is Phosphorous and Why do We need it  Phosphorus is a chemical element with symbol P and atomic number 15.  It is an essential nutrient for living organisms and also a limiting factor  It is a part of Nucleic Acids (DNA and RNA), energy molecules (ATP and ADP), and of fats  Phosphorus is a building block of certain animal and human parts Examples of this are teeth and bones

Where is Phosphorus located  It can be found on earth in water, soil, and ocean sediments  Phosphorus is also present in bird droppings called “Guano”  Phosphorus in the environment usually exists as phosphate ions (PO 4 3- )  Almost always, phosphorus cannot be found in the atmosphere in a gaseous state If it is found in the atmosphere, then it is usually in very fine dust particles  It is most commonly found in rock formations and ocean sediments as phosphate salts  On the surface, phosphorus is most commonly found in apatite rock [Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 OH]

Movement of the Phosphorus Cycle  The phosphorus cycle is very slow  It starts off in phosphate bearing rocks; when they are weathered or mined it gets distributed in rivers, lakes, and soil  Plants then absorb the phosphorus, then herbivorous and omnivorous animals ingest the plant, and in turn absorb the phosphorus  It is released back into the soil and ocean sediment through animal excretion and the decomposition of animals and plants

Phosphorus Bearing Rocks/Sediments  Phosphate deposits form over time into layers of sediment at the bottom of oceans and as rock formations on land  Phosphorus can be trapped in sediment for over 100 million years  Natural geological processes push the sediment layers up and expose them on the surface  Weathering, erosion, or human mining of rocks gradually release phosphorus as phosphate ions, which are soluble in water  From here, the phosphate ions enter the soil and bodies of water

Phosphorus enters Plants & Organisms  Phosphates from soils, fertilizers, and aquatic sediments are first absorbed by plants  Phosphates flow from plants to animals by consumption Herbivores (Primary Consumers) eat the plants Carnivores and omnivores (secondary and tertiary consumers) eat the primary consumers  This is the quickest stage when compared to the rest of them

Return into the Environment  Phosphorus is returned to the environment in different ways: Excretion and Urination: Animal waste is broken down by decomposers which returns phosphates back into the soil ○ A large percentage of phosphorus is wasted through excretion Death: ○ When plants and animals die, bacteria and other decomposers break down organic material and release phosphate ions back into the soil ○ When aquatic plants and animals die, phosphate ions bind to ocean sediments at the ocean floor, creating new deposits Phosphates in the soil runoff or drain into different bodies of water  Over a timespan of millions of year, geological processes push sediment layers up, restarting the cycle

us-cycle.htm

Credit: bhavanajagat.com

y.org/article.php/480.htm l

Video  pjaGc pjaGc

Human Impacts  Caused mainly through the use of commercial synthetic fertilizers Plants are not able to use all of the phosphate in the soil or water, resulting in runoff into streams, rivers, lakes, etc. ○ The resulting runoff creates algal blooms that deprive aquatic life of oxygen  The improper application of manure as fertilizer When manure is put down in the winter, it can be lost as runoff in the spring  Deforestation: As forests are cut, nutrients originally stored in plants and rocks are quickly washed away by heavy rains, making the land unproductive. Unproductive land results in the extensive use of fertilizers  Wastewater and sewage treatment plants are not efficiently removing phosphorus and phosphates from water This creates causes extra phosphate to enter water sources.

Works Cited   sphorus.html sphorus.html  Science_Chapter_2-_The_Cycling_of_Matter Science_Chapter_2-_The_Cycling_of_Matter   cycle.html cycle.html 