Carbon Cycle Video Notes
Name________________________________
Recycling in the Carbon Cycle
1. According to the video, how is it that living things did not use up all of the
earth’s carbon years ago?
The same carbon atoms are being ______________________ through
the carbon cycle. This follows the Law of ___________________ of
Matter.
2. What are the ingredients that green plants use to make food?
Water and ______________ and sunlight.
3. How do animals get the carbon they need?
Eating green plants or eating ________________ that eat plants.
4. What happens to the carbon?
a. Some is broken apart releasing __________________.
b. Changed into new compounds to become part of the body.
c. Some is returned to the atmosphere during
_____________________________.
5. What is respiration?
Process by which organisms convert organic material (food) into
energy using oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide gas (CO2).
Decomposition and the Carbon Cycle
1. What role do decomposers play in the carbon cycle?
Decomposers help break once living things back into
__________________________.
2. What happens to the carbon as it is decomposed?
a. Some is ______________________ in the decomposers body.
b. Some is returned to the _______________________ through
respiration.
Delayed Recycling in the Carbon Cycle
1.Why is the part of the carbon cycle that deals with living plants and
animals referred to as the “short” cycle?
This part of the carbon cycle is a relatively _______________
process when compared to the time involved in the non-living
part of the cycle.
2. How does the carbon stored in fossils and carbon-rich rocks (like
limestone) get released back into the carbon cycle?
Through a process called _____________________.
3. How do clams get the carbon they need to form their shells?
The carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere diffuses into the
water or is released from _____________________ organisms.
4. From what do fossil fuels form?
From once living things that have become _____________________
and cemented over time.
How is the carbon in fossil fuels released back into the cycle?
Carbon is released when fossil fuels are burned (combustion).
The stored CO2 returns to the atmosphere. These CO2 atoms
may have been stored and out of the cycle for _________________ of
years.
Accelerating the carbon cycle
1. Why are scientists worried about the amount of carbon dioxide we are
putting into the atmosphere? (What are the possible consequences of an
“unbalanced” carbon cycle)?
Earth warms up because the CO2 acts like a blanket over the
earth some of this is good because it keeps earth warm enough
for life. However, too much CO2 increases earths temperatures
which can lead to melting of the polar ice caps, rise in sea level
which will damage coastal areas, extreme _________________,
increased risk of _______________, extinction of certain
_________________________.
FYI
Carbon is an essential ingredient of life. It is a building block of “big
molecules” in the bodies of all living things. Elements like oxygen, nitrogen,
and hydrogen hook on to these atoms to build the foundations of our cells,
tissues, and bodies.