Researcher(s)
- Jasmine Lee, Biological Sciences, Boston College
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Deb Jaisi, Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware
Abstract
Phosphorus is an irreplaceable component in fertilizers and has thus accumulated to be excess in soil, leading to P pollution in which inorganic phosphorus from the soil reaches and contaminates nearby bodies of water through leaching and runoff. Harmful algae blooms, reduction of biodiversity, invasion of exotic species, and the deterioration of water quality have all been effects of this P pollution. To investigate the bioavailability and cycling of four inorganic phosphorus pools (H2O-Pi, NaHCO3-Pi, NaOH-Pi, and HCl-Pi), we applied 1-labeled phosphate to agricultural soil. These pools were extracted and measured at different intervals for their phosphate concentration values, revealing a rapid decrease in bioavailability as they cycled through the H2O and NaHCO3 pools. Long-term tracking of these P pools could help identify sources that restrict or promote P contamination in nearby waters. It could also help identify which P pools are more likely to contaminate waters through leaching and runoff. Furthermore, the use of 1-labeled phosphate as a tracer for transformations of bioavailable phosphorus to less bioavailable forms in this study shows its uses as a useful biomarker and may have additional applications in further studies.