Phosphorous Cycle

Importance of Phospherous

• Important to human bone health
• component to nucleic acids - DNA
• Major plant nutrient in soil

Cycle

• only cycle to occur totally on land
• Found in rocks and released through weathering and leeching
• Producers pick up Phospherous from soil and are then eaten by consumers
• Decomposers help return Phospherous back to soil after plant and animals die

Anthropogenic factors

• Phospherous rich fertilizers ( run off causes algae blooms, eutrophication by over abundance of nutrience)
• Animal waste (high in Phospherous and can contaminate water supply)