A chemical element in the periodic table, symbol P and atomic number 15
Pronounced as "Fos-fer-es"
Was first isolated in 1669 by Hennig Brand, a German physician and alchemist, by boiling, filtering and otherwise processing urine
A Latin word for 'morning star,' a Greek word meaning 'light bringing'
It emits a faint glow upon exposure to oxygen
Due to its high reactivity, it is never found as a free element in nature
Phosphorus is a multivalent, nonmetal of the nitrogen group, commonly found in inorganic phosphate rocks and in all living cells. Phosphorus can be found in the environment most commonly as phosphates. Phosphates are important substances in the human body, because they are a part of DNA materials and they take part in energy distribution. Phosphates can also be found on earth in water, soil and sediments, plants, rocks etc.
Large deposits are found in Russia, in Morocco, and in Florida, Tennessee, Utah, Idaho, and elsewhere. Humans have changed the natural phosphate supply radically by addition of phosphate-rich manures and fertilizers to the soil and by the use of phosphate-containing detergents. Phosphates are also added to food, like cheese and certain kinds of meat products.
Why Do We Need Phosphorus?
Phosphorus is an essential element for living organisms. In the human body, Phosphates are a part of DNA materials and they take part in energy distribution.
In plants, phosphorus allows the passage of other nutrients through the plant membranes, according to the agronomist Cliff Snyder of the Potash and Phosphate Institute, (Santaniello). In other words, it is a growth stimulant. In Florida, phosphorus is an abundant nutrient, mostly contained within sedimentary rock and in Florida's natural soil. However, if it is released in excess, it can become a pollutant.
Why Is Phosphorus a Problem in the Everglades?
The Everglades is an ecosystem that evolved around a "low-phosphorus diet" (Santaniello). The lack of phosphorus made it a limiting factor, controlling the growth of plants and shaping the Everglades to be what it is (used to be), an array of "sawgrass, wet prairies and open-water sloughs dotted with tree islands" (Santaniello).
Due to the constant addition of phosphates by humans and the exceeding of the natural concentrations, the phosphorus cycle in the Everglades is changed.
This has caused a change in vegetation. Where there used to be different kinds of grasses and marshes, there are now excessive growth of cattails, and other kinds of vegetation that were not found, or were only sparsely present in the Everglades.
High levels of phosphorus cause cattails to crowd out more desirable native Everglades plants favored by wildlife. Also, the increasing phosphorus concentrations in surface waters increases the growth of organisms such as algae and duckweed, which prefer a higher level of Phosphorus. This changes the habitats of aquatic and non-aquatic wildlife.
Nitrogen, in excessive amounts, is another nutrient that can cause problems in water.
Changes in pH (or the balance between acid and alkaline, which is changed by nutrients) stimulate algae growth, which then blocks sunlight penetrating to submerged aquatic vegetation. This can have an impact on the whole food chain, because the natural vegetation is a food source for a variety of creatures.
Yesterday & Today
Everglades the Problems
