Phosphorous Cycle

Weathering

Phosphate ions in rocks released and washed into the soil

Absorption

Phosphates are taken in by plants by active transport and used to make biological molecules such as ATP and DNA

Mycorrhizae

Fungi that form symbiotic relationships with plants: forming a network of filaments in and around their roots to extend the plants reach for inorganic ions

Consumption

Plants are eaten by animals, which take in the ions

Decomposition

Waste or dead organisms are digested by bacteria, releasing phosphate ions back into the soil

Saprobionts

Organisms that digest food externally before consuming it. They are important as they release ions into the soil, allowing plants to absorb them

Leeching

Some phosphate ions are transported through the ground and released into water sources

Algae

Take in phosphate ions in water, and are then consumed by other organisms

Sediment

When these organisms die, they can sink the to bed as sediment and eventually form sedimentary rock after being compressed

Sedimentary rock

May become exposed to weathering, where the ions inside will be released into the soil again