THE CARBON
CYCLE
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What is the Carbon Cycle?
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The Carbon Cycle is a complex series of processes
through which all of the carbon atoms in existence
rotate.
The same carbon atoms in your body today have been
used in countless other molecules since time began.
The wood burned just a few decades ago could have
produced carbon dioxide which through photosynthesis
became part of a plant.
When you eat that plant, the same carbon from the
wood which was burnt can become part of you.
The carbon cycle is the great natural recycler of carbon
atoms.
Unfortunately, the extent of its importance is rarely
stressed enough. Without the proper functioning of the
carbon cycle, every aspect of life could be changed
dramatically.
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Plants and the Carbon Cycle
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Plants, animals, and soil interact to make up the
basic cycles of nature.
In the carbon cycle, plants absorb carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere and use it,
combined with water they get from the soil, to
make the substances they need for growth.
The process of photosynthesis incorporates the
carbon atoms from carbon dioxide into sugars.
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Animals and the Carbon Cycle
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Animals, such as rabbits, eat the plants and use
the carbon to build their own tissues. Other
animals, such as the fox, eat the rabbit and then
use the carbon for their own needs. These
animals return carbon dioxide into the air when
they breathe, and when they die, since the
carbon is returned to the soil during
decomposition.
There are also decomposers involved in the
carbon cycle. They break down organic material
such as dead animals, poop, or leaves.
Decomposers are able to break down the
chemical compounds inside the body. They also
release carbon dioxide as well as methane.
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Sometimes the decomposers don't break down
organic material. There are great oil fields under the
surface that are made of plants that did not
decompose millions of years ago. There are also
layers of rock made of millions of creatures who had
shells. One day this carbon will return to the
everyday carbon cycle, but geological processes are
much slower than living processes
Carbon is stored in the lithosphere in both inorganic
and organic forms. Inorganic deposits of carbon in
the lithosphere include fossil fuels like coal, oil, and
natural gas, shale, and carbonate based
sedimentary deposits like limestone.
Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have greatly
increased the quantity of carbon dioxide found in the
Earth's atmosphere and oceans.
Emissions from fossil fuel combustion account for
about 65% of the additional carbon dioxide currently
found in the Earth's atmosphere.
Humans have altered the carbon cycle through fossil
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fuel burning, deforestation, and land-use change.
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Finally…….
The same carbon atom can move through
many organisms and even end in the
same place where it began. Herein lies the
fascination of the carbon cycle; the same
atoms can be recycled for millennia!
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Facts to Know!!!
Producers are plants that take carbon dioxide gas from
the atmosphere. Plants are producers.
Plants use carbon dioxide to make energy in a process
called photosynthesis.
Consumers release carbon dioxide gas into the
atmosphere as they burn sugar for energy. People and
animals are consumers. They also release carbon to the
atmosphere when they combust—burn—fossil fuels.
Decomposers break down dead organisms and return
carbon to the environment. Bacteria and fungi are
decomposers.
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Facts to Know!!!
The source of carbon in fossil fuels comes from
the remains of plants and animals that died long
ago.
Fossil fuels are oil, natural gas and coal.
When we burn fossil fuels we put carbon dioxide
back into the atmosphere.
Too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can
lead to an increase in the Earth’s temperatures,
also known as global warming.
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