Carbon Cycle Flashcards
what is the carbon cycle?
The carbon cycle describes the storage and exchange of carbon between the Earth’s biosphere (living matter), atmosphere (air), hydrosphere (water), and geosphere (earth)
where do living things get carbon and where does it go after they die?
Carbon is an element that is essential for life as we know it. Living organisms obtain carbon from their environment. When they die, carbon is returned to the non-living environment.
Carbon is found in the non-living environment as:
Carbon containing rocks such as limestone and shale
Fossil fuels from once living organisms
(coal, oil, natural gas)
Carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air
Carbon dioxide dissolved in water
how does Carbon enter living things?
it enters living things through photosynthesis. Plants take in carbon dioxide and water and make their own food. Now carbon is in the food chain in sugars.
what is the A Terrestrial Carbon Cycle?
Photosynthesis (plants, algae, cyanobacteria)
Carbon dioxide + water + energy from light → glucose (sugar) + oxygen.
Respiration (All living things!)
Oxygen + glucose → carbon dioxide + water + energy
Feeding
Organism take nutrients (this includes carbon) from what they eat to grow.
Death/Decomposition
Complex, carbon compounds in dead organisms are broken down into simpler carbon compounds by bacteria or fungi.
how does Carbon return to the non-living environment?
it returnes by Respiration, plants and animals
(CO2 is given off as a waste product)
Decay of dead organisms. (carbon dioxide
is released if oxygen is present or
methane, CH4, is released if oxygen is not present)
Burning fossil fuels releases massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. CO2 is a Greenhouse Gas.
Increased levels of carbon dioxide insulate the Earth, causing Global Warming.
