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The Phosphorus Cycle

The Phosphorus Cycle

Unlike carbon, water, and nitrogen, phosphorus is not present in the atmosphere as a gas. Instead, most phosphorus in the ecosystem exists as compounds, such as phosphate ions (PO43-), found in soil, water, sediment and rocks. Phosphorus is often a limiting nutrient (i.e., in short supply). Consequently, phosphorus is added to most agricultural fertilizers, which can cause environmental problems related to runoff in aquatic ecosystems.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2025

Measuring Phosphorus Release in Laboratory Microcosms for Water Quality Assessment

Measuring Phosphorus Release in Laboratory Microcosms for Water Quality Assessment

Published on: July 22, 2019

Rhythmic radial oxygen loss enhances soil phosphorus bioavailability.

Cai Li¹, Hu Sheng¹, Mengxi Tan²

¹State Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.

Nature Communications

|May 13, 2025

Summary

Plant roots release oxygen, creating soil redox fluctuations that mobilize soil phosphorus. This natural process enhances plant phosphorus uptake and has significant implications for agriculture and nutrient cycling.

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Area of Science:

Environmental Science
Soil Science
Plant Biology

Background:

Phosphorus (P) is essential for global primary productivity but often immobilized by iron (oxy)hydroxides in soils.
Plant roots play a critical role in nutrient acquisition, but the mechanisms for overcoming soil P immobility are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of diel radial oxygen loss (ROL) from plant roots in mobilizing soil phosphorus.
To elucidate the redox mechanisms involved in iron mineral activation and P release in the rhizosphere.
To quantify the contribution of ROL-activated P release to agricultural P inputs.

Main Methods:

Utilized multiple aquatic plant species from agriculturally developed regions.
Investigated redox fluctuations in the rhizosphere induced by diel ROL.
Analyzed the formation and dissolution-reformation cycles of reactive metastable iron phases (RMPs) on root surfaces.
Quantified ROL-activated P release in rice paddies.

Main Results:

Diel ROL from plant roots induces rhizosphere redox fluctuations, activating crystalline iron minerals.
This process leads to the formation of a redox-active iron plaque composed of RMPs on root surfaces.
These RMPs undergo rapid cycles, facilitating P transfer from soil to porewater for plant uptake.
ROL-activated P release in rice paddies accounts for 8.7% of global P fertilizer input, valued at USD 0.52 billion annually.

Conclusions:

Plant root ROL is a significant, previously overlooked mechanism for enhancing soil P availability.
The redox cycling of iron minerals activated by ROL is key to P mobilization.
This finding has broad implications for understanding nutrient cycling and improving agricultural sustainability and P use efficiency.