Human Impact
What are 3 ways humans impact the Phosphorus Cycle?
1. Mining waste
2. Fertilizers
3. Sewage waste
Phosphorus travels over land by _____.
Runoffs
What are the 2 biggest reservoirs of Phosphorus?
1. Rock
2. Deep ocean sediments
The Phosphorus Cycle is the ____ cycle
Slowest
How would agriculture impact the Phosphorus Cycle?
Runoffs from agricultural fields causes phosphorus problems in lakes, reservoirs, streams, and ponds
Phosphorus travels from land to water by what process?
Erosion
What are the abiotic reservoirs in the Phosphorus cycle?
Rock, soil, water bodies, sediment, and minerals
What is different about the Phosphorus Cycle compared to the other 4
It doesn’t cycle through the atmosphere
How would clearing forests impact the Phosphorus cycle?
There is reduced phosphorus uptake by vegetation that leaves more phosphorus in the soil and allows it to wash away.
Like weathering, what aids the release of Phosphorus from rock and sediment?
Geological uplifting
What are biotic reservoirs in the Phosphorus Cycle?
Plants, herbivores, carnivores, and microorganisms
What is physical weathering?
Process that breaks rocks apart without changing their chemical composition and releases phosphorus
What is the effect of pollution of phosphorus in water?
Phosphorus pollution causes algal blooms that block sunlight, lower oxygen, kill aquatic life, create dead zones, and make water unsafe for humans to use.
What does the the uptake of phosphorus mean?
The process by plants, microorganisms, and other organisms absorb phosphorus from their environment
How is phosphorus recycled through the food chain?
Plants absorb phosphates, which are eaten by herbivores and carnivores, and then after the animals die the decomposers return phosphates to the soil. The cycle then repeats.
Organic and inorganic forms of the Phosphorus Cycle
Organic forms: Biomolecules (DNA, RNA, ATP), organic matter (dead plants/animals, animal waste)
Inorganic Forms: Phosphate ions (PO₄³⁻), rock (mined of fertilizer), sediment (long term storage)