Carbon Cycle Flashcards
What is the carbon cycle?
The carbon cycle is nature’s way of recycling carbon atoms. It is the process in which carbon atoms continually travel from the atmosphere to the Earth and then back into the atmosphere. (The pathway through which carbon is recycled in the biosphere.)
What are the four steps of the carbon cycles? (Titles)
- Photosynthesis
- Decomposition
- Respiration
- Combustion
What is cellular respiration?
Cellular respiration is the process by which cells in plants/animals break down glucose and turn it into energy, which is then used to perform work at the cellular level.
Simplified: The process of converting glucose into a form of energy (ATP) that is useable by cells.
What is the first step of the carbon cycle?
Photosynthesis. Uses CO2, produces O2.
Plants convert the carbon in atmospheric carbon dioxide into carbon-containing organic compounds, such as sugars, fats, and proteins. Plants take in carbon dioxide through microscopic openings in their leaves, called stomata. They combine atmospheric carbon with water and manufacture organic compounds, using energy trapped from sunlight in a process called photosynthesis. The by-product of photosynthesis is oxygen, which plants release into the atmosphere through the stomata.
What is the second step of the carbon cycle?
Decomposition.
Quick decomposition: This is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic/inorganic matter such as CO2, water, simple sugars and mineral salts.
Slow: In some places, such as bogs and the deep ocean, the organic matter of plants and animals may accumulate in deep sediments, where decomposers cannot function well because of the lack of oxygen. Slowly, over millions of years, the carbon-rich materials are converted into carbon-rich fossil fuels, such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal.
What is the third step of the carbon cycle?
Cellular respiration. Returns CO2 to the atmosphere.
Animals that eat plants, or that eat other animals, incorporate the carbon in the sugars, fats, and proteins derived from the ingested biomass into their bodies. Inside their cells, energy is extracted from the food in a process called cellular respiration. Cellular respiration requires oxygen (which is the by-product of photosynthesis) and it produces carbon dioxide, which is used in photosynthesis. In this way, photosynthesis and cellular respiration are linked in the carbon cycle.
What is the fourth step of the carbon cycle
It is combustion. In combustion, O2 is used and CO2 produced.
When organic material burns combustion occurs. This causes carbon to be released as CO2. Combustion happens naturally by wildfires caused by lightning strikes. This leads to increased nutrient and carbon recycling and results in growth being stimulated. This is essential to a number of ecosystems including grasslands in East Africa.
What are the three major carbon-bearing reservoirs?
- Lithosphere (earth)
- Hydrosphere (water)
- Atmosphere (air)
All of these are acted upon out by the biosphere (organisms). Living organisms generally have an important role in maintaining the balance between the different reservoirs.
What is Carbon Dioxide (CO2)?
CO2 is the main route of energy transfer between organisms - main way we trap heat in our atmosphere. It is a gas consisting of one part carbon and 2 parts oxygen.
Glucose + Oxygen = H2O plus CO2. What is this reaction called, and what does it do?
Glucose + Oxygen (C6H12O6 + 6O2) = Carbon dioxide + Water +ATP (Adenosine triphosphate? source of energy for use and storage at the cellular level) (CO2 + H2O)
Glucose and oxygen react together in cells to produce carbon dioxide and water and releases energy. The reaction is called aerobic respiration because oxygen from the air is needed for it to work. Energy is released in the reaction in the form of heat.
