Unit 2 Lesson 3: Living Things and the Carbon Cycle

Question 1

Movement of carbon through one sphere often influences others. Give an example

Answer 1

. For example, if the hydrosphere has an abundance of carbon, then it affects the organisms in the biosphere.

Question 2

One way carbon cycles from the atmosphere to the biosphere is through

Answer 2

photosynthesis

Question 3

The oceans cover about ?% of the planet’s surface.

Answer 3

70

Question 4

1.

What is the relationship between carbon and water

Answer 4

A vast amount of carbon is exchanged between the oceans and the atmosphere. Water absorbs carbon and it diffuses directly from the air into the water.

Question 5

the oceans serve as a carbon sink. What is a carbon sink

Answer 5

an area where carbon is stored

Question 6

At the same time, microscopic organisms called phytoplankton take in the carbon to perform

Answer 6

photosynthesis

Question 7

carbon source –

Answer 7

an area or a process that releases carbon

Question 8

Why is the ocean a carbon source

Answer 8

At the same time, microscopic organisms called phytoplankton take in the carbon to perform photosynthesis. This makes the oceans a carbon source as well.

Question 9

The plankton also incorporate carbon into their own bodies and pass it on when

Answer 9

The plankton also incorporate carbon into their own bodies and pass it on when they are eaten by larger animals

Question 10

What do all living things in the ocean perfom

Answer 10

all living things in the oceans also perform cellular respiration

Question 11

impact of celular respiration in oceans

Answer 11

This process releases carbon in the form of carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide may stay in the water or return to the atmosphere.

Question 12

How is carbon exchanged in the geosphere?

Answer 12

In the geosphere, carbon is exchanged through the decomposition of dead organisms.

Question 13

In the geosphere, carbon is exchanged through the decomposition of dead organisms. Eaboarte

Answer 13

When fish and other organisms in the water column die, they settle to the bottom of the sea. It is there that bacteria and other decomposers break down the tissues of the dead organisms. Their components are released back into the environment. The materials that made up the dead organism now serve as the basis for new life to form.

Question 14

geosphere

Answer 14

the solid Earth, including the crust and Earth’s interior

Question 15

Which of the four areas affected by the carbon cycle contains the oceans?

Answer 15

The oceans are located within the hydrosphere.

Question 16

​How does photosynthesis contribute to the carbon cycle?​

Answer 16

Photosynthesis takes in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, reducing the amount of carbon in the air. At the same time, photosynthesis also produces glucose, which is a carbon compound. This carbon gets transferred to other organisms when they eat the producers or when the producer itself performs cellular respiration to break down the glucose for energy.

Question 17

What is the transfer of carbon that occurs between the environment and living things during decomposition?

Answer 17

Dead organisms are broken down during decomposition and their chemical parts are released back into the environment. These chemical parts are carbon-containing compounds. The compounds serve as the basis for the formation of new life.

Question 18

​How does one animal eating another add to the carbon cycle?​

Answer 18

When one animal eats another, it consumes all of the carbon within the prey’s body. This carbon is incorporated into the animal’s own body (mostly through nutrients used for growth and metabolism). When the predator dies, its body is broken down by decomposers, releasing the carbon back into the environment.

Question 19

What makes up the basis of an aquatic food chain?

Answer 19

Plankton (microscopic organisms that get eaten by other organisms) makes up the first step in an aquatic food chain.

Question 20

What is the importance of the hydrosphere to the carbon cycle?

Answer 20

The hydrosphere is all of the water on the planet. Contained mostly in the oceans, the hydrosphere serves as both a carbon source and a carbon sink. The organisms living in the water perform cellular respiration, which produces carbon dioxide as a waste product. As a sink, the oceans store a lot of the carbon (both from the atmosphere and from the organisms living within it).

Question 21

​How does carbon get transferred between a fish and the atmosphere?​

Answer 21

Fish are a living organism, which means they perform cellular respiration. This releases carbon dioxide into the water, which can eventually make its way into the atmosphere. Additionally, when the fish die, their bodies are decomposed and this releases carbon back into the environment. This carbon can also cycle back into the atmosphere.

Question 22

Carbon cycle in the Desert

Answer 22

In fact, the desert is quite the center for carbon exchange between living things and the environment. There are a host of microorganisms living in the sand that assist with the decomposition of dead animals and plants. There are small shrubs and grasses that take in carbon for photosynthesis (not to mention the cacti).

Question 23

How do the animals in the desert exchange carbon with the atmosphere?

Answer 23

Just like in the oceans, different living organisms such in the desert perform cellular respiration (which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere).

Question 24

​How would the carbon exchange between the desert and the atmosphere differ from that between the rainforest and the atmosphere?​

Answer 24

​The tropical rainforests have many more plants than the deserts. This means there is a lot more photosynthesis taking place, which takes in a lot more carbon dioxide. Also, the tropical rainforests have much more biodiversity performing cellular respiration so the amount of carbon dioxide given off is also larger.​