Which of the following is not a component of the phosphorous cycle
A - Phosphate is absorbed from the soil by plants
B - Phosphate is incorporated into sedimentary rocks
C - Atmospheric phosphate
D - Release of phosphate from rocks
E - Phosphate bound to soil
Answer: C - Atmospheric phosphate
Weathering of rocks releases phosphate into soil and then absorbed by plants making it available to consumers and detritivores who recycle it. Phosphate can be removed by harvesting the crop or becoming part of sedimentary rocks when it leaches through the soil into water, later to be put back in the soil due to the water cycle.