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1) Some amount of phosphorus is returned to earth in the form of birds excreta - Guano deposits (excreta of marine birds) and dead fish (around 60,000 tonnes which is less than 0.5% of phosphorus discharged from rivers).
2) Death and decay of organisms and decomposition of organic matter by microorganisms releases the phosphates into the soil, making them available to plants once again.
3) Zooplanktons excrete phosphorus into water (negligible amount)
Once phosphorus becomes a part of the soil water as phosphate or in dissolved state in any aquatic system, it re-enters the cycle through producers.
When phosphates form compounds with metals like aluminium, iron or calcium, phosphorus become unavailable to plants (becomes sediment and are deposited in deep ocean floor), and is lost to the phosphorus cycle until chemically changed.
Phosphorus incorporated in bones and teeth also remain outside the natural cycle for a long time as the bones and teeth are resistant to decay.
Therefore, phosphorus cycle is an imperfect cycle and shows one way flow which can be represented as:
Phosphate rocks Land ecosystem Oceans Ocean sediment
High concentration of phosphates in natural water causes 'Eutrophication' and pollution.az
francis1897 answered the question on February 27, 2023 at 09:04
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