Hey man! I'm Digby, and I am here to teach you about the phosphorus cycle!
It all starts right here, in this big rock. Phosphorus is inside rocks, so when they get weathered down and it erodes, that when the phosphorus transfers to the soil, and to different water sources.
Once the phosphorus is in the soil, it is then absorbed by plants and animals. When the phosphorus is absorbed by plants, its consumption by animals, is how they get their phosphorus.
The next step is the phosphorus returning to the environment through decomposition. Animals produce waste, and then the act of decomposition is underway. When plants and animals die, decomposers break down the organic phosphorus and turn it into in-organic phosphorus in a process called mineralization.
And now we are back here, where the sediment is then turned into rock, and the cycle continues.
Some of the phosphorus in the soil gets washes to the ocean in what's called a runoff, A similar process then takes place. Thanks for sticking around, I'm all done her. Got a carrot?