1. Where is all the phosphorus?
Michael Gross 
Current Biology 
Volume 27, Issue 21, Pages R1141-R1144 (November 2017)
DOI: /j.cub
Copyright © Terms and Conditions

2. Rare resource: Although phosphorus is one of the more abundant elements in Earth’s crust, minerals containing it in concentrated form occur only in very few areas, including North Africa. The image shows a phosphate mine in Selja Gorge, Tunisia. (Photo: Keith Roper/Flickr (CC-BY 2.0).)
Current Biology  , R1141-R1144DOI: ( /j.cub )
Copyright © Terms and Conditions

3. Colourful continent: Australian soil is generally poor in phosphorus, but in certain areas the weathering of volcanic minerals provides a natural source. The map can be downloaded from Figure from Viscarra Rossel, R.A., and Bui, E.N. (2016). A new detailed map of total phosphorus stocks in Australian soil. Sci. Total Environ. 542, 1040–1049.
Current Biology  , R1141-R1144DOI: ( /j.cub )
Copyright © Terms and Conditions

4. Smelly stuff: Using manure as a fertiliser can be a laudable contribution to phosphorus recycling, but is sometimes misused as waste disposal on land where fertiliser wasn’t necessary. (Photo: Alan Findlay/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).)
Current Biology  , R1141-R1144DOI: ( /j.cub )
Copyright © Terms and Conditions