Phosphorus cycles in the form of

Question

Filo · Accepted Answer

The basic source and the great reservoir of phosphorus are the rocks or other deposits which have been formed in the past geological ages. These are gradually eroding, releasing phosphates to the ecosystems. But, a large amount of phosphate escapes into the sea where part of it is deposited in the shallow sediments and part of it is lost to the deep sediments.

For nutrition, plants absorb water dissolved inorganic phosphates from the soil and convert these into inorganic phosphates.

The latter is transferred to animal consumers and decomposers. Phosphates absorbed from the soil in the form of H $_{2}$ PO $_{4}$ $^{-}$ are returned to it as dead plant and animal organic residues which are converted to humus by the action of soil microorganisms.
The floating algae or phytoplankton rapidly absorb soluble inorganic phosphates and convert them into organophosphates. Algae provide food for zooplankton which in turn are consumed by other animals. All plants and animals eventually die and in due time, their organic remains or debris decay through the action of microorganisms and phosphates are released into the water for recycling.

Hence phosphorus cycles in the form of phosphates i.e. PO

_{4}

^{3 -}

. So, the correct answer is 'PO

_{4}

^{3 -}

'.

Question Text	Phosphorus cycles in the form of
Answer Type	Text solution:1
Upvotes	150

Text solutionVerified