Directions: The diagram below models part of the phosphorus cycle. Use the diagram to answer any questions that follow.
How is phosphorus transferred between soil and animals in box M?
a
Plants use the phosphorus in the soil to grow and animals eat the plants to get the phosphorus
b
Consumers in the soil exhale phosphorus as a gas that is absorbed through the leaves of plants
c
Plants cannot use the phosphorus in the soil, so they die, and the phosphorus goes back into the soil
d
Animals use the phosphorus in the soil for key nutrients