What do living organisms use phosphorus for?

Phosphorous is mostly found in phosphates, which are made up of many different molecules.

Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, is frequently referred to as the body's energy currency. During respiration, energy is converted from glucose to a more usable form, and ATP transports that energy around the body by severing a phosphate group and releasing energy into the surrounding environment.

Aside from cells, bone is primarily composed of 70% calcium phosphate and 30% collagen protein, which functions as a cement to hold the phosphate salts—which give bone its strength—together.

Our genetic information is stored in a molecule called DNA that is inherited from our parents. It is primarily composed of nucleotides, which are the building blocks of traits, but its backbone is composed of phosphate groups and ribose sugars, which, although not genetically useful, hold the molecule together and safeguard the information.

The phospholipid bilayer that makes up cell membranes is a type of lipid that has two fatty acids and a phosphate group instead of three fatty acids on a glycerol. This gives them a hydrophobic area (the fatty acids) and a hydrophilic area (the phosphate), so it can act as an emulsifier, which offers specific benefits for molecules like oxygen and water to diffuse through the membrane.

Living organisms use phosphorus for DNA and RNA synthesis, energy transfer (ATP), and structural components of cell membranes.