International Journal of Marine Science, 2025, Vol.15, No.6, 292-302 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ijms 292 Review Article Open Access Bioavailability of Phosphorus in Marine Ecosystems: Sources, Transport, and Ecological Impacts Yeping Han , Wenfang Wang Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding author: yeping.han@jicat.org International Journal of Marine Science, 2025, Vol.15, No.6 doi: 10.5376/ijms.2025.15.0027 Received: 20 Sep., 2025 Accepted: 30 Oct., 2025 Published: 20 Nov., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Han and Wang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Han Y.P., and Wang W.F., 2025, Bioavailability of phosphorus in Marine ecosystems: sources, transport, and ecological impacts, International Journal of Marine Science, 15(6): 292-302 (doi: 10.5376/ijms.2025.15.0027) Abstract Phosphorus is an indispensable nutrient element in Marine ecosystems and plays a key role in the Marine food web and biogeochemical cycles. Phosphorus in the ocean exists in various chemical forms and is constantly cycled and transformed through biological and abiotic processes. This study Outlines the main sources of Marine phosphorus and its migration and transformation mechanisms in the Marine environment. The key environmental and biological factors influencing the bioavailability of phosphorus were analyzed. By comparing the relationship between primary productivity and phosphorus limitation in different sea areas, and combining regional cases such as the Mediterranean Sea, the South China Sea, and the North Atlantic, the impact of phosphorus supply changes on plankton communities and ecosystems is revealed. Finally, the evolution trend of the Marine phosphorus cycle under the background of global change and human activities is discussed, as well as the problems of eutrophication and red tides caused by phosphorus excess. The future research and management of the Marine phosphorus cycle are also prospected. Keywords Marine phosphorus cycle; Bioavailability; Phosphorus limitation; Primary productivity; Eutrophication 1 Introduction The importance of phosphorus (P) to Marine life is almost self-evident. It, like nitrogen (N) and carbon (C), is the most fundamental nutrient for life activities, but its role is more inclined to be a "connector between energy and genetics". The key molecules such as DNA, RNA and ATP all rely on the participation of phosphorus. Even the cell membrane needs phospholipids to maintain structural stability (Murphy et al., 2021). However, phosphorus is not always an abundant resource in the ocean. Often, it is the "bottleneck" for the growth of phytoplankton. Once there is a shortage of available phosphorus, the efficiency of photosynthesis will decline, and the chain effect will eventually be passed on to higher trophic levels. In contrast, there is a gaseous exchange pathway in the nitrogen cycle, while there is no such link in the phosphorus cycle. It mainly flows back and forth between the hydrosphere and the lithosphere in the form of dissolved and particulate states (Jin et al., 2024). As for the supply of phosphorus in the ocean, it mainly depends on two aspects: terrestrial transport and internal regeneration. Any fluctuation in any link will affect the balance of the entire ecosystem. On a global scale, the picture of the phosphorus cycle is more like a long-term "deposition and regeneration" game. Rock weathering and river transportation are the starting points of most Marine phosphorus. After entering the ocean, phosphorus does not exist in isolation but is classified into various forms such as dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP), dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP), and particulate phosphorus, constantly flowing through absorption, sedimentation, and decomposition. In the vertical direction, phosphorus in surface seawater is often rapidly consumed by phytoplankton, while in the deep layer, more phosphate accumulates due to the decomposition of organic matter (Zhao et al., 2020). When the upwelling brings these phosphorus-rich water bodies back to the surface, the "biological pump" cycle is completed. However, this cycle is not balanced across different sea areas: for instance, the phosphorus concentration in the deep water of the Pacific Ocean is usually higher than that in the Atlantic Ocean, which is the result of long-term accumulation. Overall, phosphorus remains in the ocean for an extremely long time, often for tens of thousands of years, but this does not mean that it is evenly distributed. On the contrary, regional
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==