B1.6.2- The carbon cycle Flashcards
What’s the carbon cycle?
The events and processes involved in the recycling of carbon
What are the main processes in the carbon cycle?
respiration
photosynthesis
combustion
What do respiration and combustion do?
Release C02 into the atmosphere
What does photosynthesis by green plants and algae do?
Removes C02 for photosynthesis
Where is carbon passed along?
A food chain of animals
What happens to the carbon from C02 in plants and algae?
It makes up their body parts
What happens when green plants and algae respire?
Some C02 gets released
The same happens to animals
(some of the carbon in plants eaten by animals becomes fat + protein in their bodies)
What happens when animals respire?
Some carbon dioxide is released
When plants and animals die what happens to their bodies?
Some animals and microorganisms feed on their bodies
What happens when these organisms respire? (ones that fed on bodies)
You guessed it! they release C02!
What do the microorganisms and detritus feeders break down??
The waste products AND dead bodies of organisms in ecosystems
What are the materials cycled as?
Plant nutrients!
Once the DF and M’s have broken down the waste products and dead bodies of organisms in ecosystems, and cycled the materials as plant nutrients, what happens to the energy originally absorbed by green plants and algae?
ITS BEEN TRANSFERRED! whoa how cool how ecological
What’s combustion?
A reaction where a chemical substance reacts with oxygen and gives off heat! chemistry innit!
