Will someone describe the flow of phosphorus through an ecosystem?

Question

Peyton Budinger · Accepted Answer

See below for the Phosphorus Cycle:

There is a cycle called the Phosphorus Cycle. Here's a graphic:

Let's follow the diagram:

Phosphorus, which at this point in the Cycle is locked into rocks, gets weathered and released into water and soil as Phosphorus ions.
Phosphorus ions are absorbed into plants (phosphorus is needed to help plants grow optimally). Animals can eat the plants and absorb the phosphorus, which makes its way into organic chemicals, like DNA.
The plants and animals die and decompose, putting Phosphorus into the soil.
Bacteria break down the compounds containing Phosphorus, creating Phosphorus ions that are available to plants (and therefore back to step 2).
Eventually Phosphorus ends up in waterways and the ocean, ending up in sediment, which hardens to become sedimentary rock, which can then be weathered (and put us back at step 1).

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Clara Addison · Answer

undefined Phosphorus enters the ecosystem primarily through the weathering of rocks and minerals. It is then taken up by plants through their roots. Animals obtain phosphorus by consuming plants or other animals. Phosphorus is returned to the soil through decomposition of organic matter and excretion by animals. Eventually, phosphorus may be washed into bodies of water where it can become sediment or be taken up by aquatic organisms. Finally, phosphorus returns to the soil through sedimentation or by the decomposition of aquatic organisms.