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The Phosphorus
Cycle
Karen Atkins
Kira Bartholomew
Joanna Jao
Lauren Kim
APES, Period 6
3 Parts of Cycle:
1.) Reservoirs
2.) Assimilation
3.) Release
Reservoirs
• Erosion transfers
phosphorus to water
and soil
• Sediments and rocks
on ocean floors return
to the surface as a
result of natural
uplifting
Assimilation
• Plants absorb inorganic
phosphate from soils.
• Animals obtain organic
phosphorus when they
eat plants for other
animals.
Release
• Dead plants and animals
release phosphorus when
they decompose.
• Animals excrete
phosphate in their waste
products.
Key Terms
ATP (Adenine Triphosphate):
Transfers energy from chemical
bonds
Respiration: Process by
which cells use oxygen to
burn sugar for fuel
Key Terms
Biomass: Amount of living
matter in a given habitat
Uplift (in geology): The
rise or upheaval of
portions of the earth’s
surface
Amount of Compound
Atmosphere: None, because phosphorus
rarely occurs in a gaseous state.
Lithosphere: 0.1% phosphorus
Hydrosphere: None
Biosphere: None
Ecological Importance
• Phosphorus enters the environment
when industries use it to make other
chemicals and when the army uses it as
ammunition
• Increasing phosphorus concentrations
in surface waters raise the growth of
phosphate-dependent organisms
Biological Importance
• Essential component of DNA,
RNA, and ATP
• Found in cell membranes as
phospholipids
• Limiting nutrient in the growth of
autotrophs
Works Cited
• http://cheese.about.com/b/a/0
00029.htm
• http://www.princeton.edu/~chm3
33/2002/spring/Biochemical/p
hosphorus/phosphorus_cycle.htm