The study investigates microbial phosphorus (P) recycling in soil through both intracellular and extracellular mechanisms, focusing on the contrasting conditions of low and high P availability. Using 32P labeling, the researchers quantified P incorporation into microbial DNA and phospholipids under low and high carbon (C) conditions. In low P soils, microorganisms preferentially allocated P to phospholipids, which were rapidly metabolized by C addition, driven by the presence of microbial community members with high phospholipid turnover rates. In high P soils, more P was allocated to DNA, leading to a microbial shift towards DNA synthesis for replicative growth, coupled with an enrichment of fungal copiotrophs and genes coding for DNA primase. These findings highlight how microorganisms adapt to P deficiency by regulating component-specific P pathways, with phospholipids and DNA playing crucial roles in P recycling. The study advances our understanding of microbial adaptation to P deficiency and reflects the specific functions of these components in P cycling.The study investigates microbial phosphorus (P) recycling in soil through both intracellular and extracellular mechanisms, focusing on the contrasting conditions of low and high P availability. Using 32P labeling, the researchers quantified P incorporation into microbial DNA and phospholipids under low and high carbon (C) conditions. In low P soils, microorganisms preferentially allocated P to phospholipids, which were rapidly metabolized by C addition, driven by the presence of microbial community members with high phospholipid turnover rates. In high P soils, more P was allocated to DNA, leading to a microbial shift towards DNA synthesis for replicative growth, coupled with an enrichment of fungal copiotrophs and genes coding for DNA primase. These findings highlight how microorganisms adapt to P deficiency by regulating component-specific P pathways, with phospholipids and DNA playing crucial roles in P recycling. The study advances our understanding of microbial adaptation to P deficiency and reflects the specific functions of these components in P cycling.