Populations and the Environment Answers

An animal dies and decays, returning the phosphorus to the soil, and the cycle repeats.

Bacteria in the soil converts this nutrient into a usable form. Plant take up the usable nutrient through the soil and assimilate it into proteins, making it part of the plant. An animal eats the plants, and the nutrient becomes part of the animal. When the animal dies, it decomposes, returning the nutrient back to the soil.