Plants & The Carbon Cycle

• Plants take in carbon dioxide and convert it to sugar which can be stored until used for energy.

• This process is called photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis:

CO2 + H2O + sunlight yields O2 + C6H12O6

Plants & The Carbon Cycle

• Plants release carbon dioxide as a waste product when they convert their stored sugar to chemical energy.

• This process is called respiration.

Respiration:

C6H12O6 + O2 yields CO2 + H2O + energy

Animals & The Carbon Cycle

• Animals eat carbon contained in animal and plant tissues and release carbon dioxide as a waste product.

• This process is respiration.

Decay & The Carbon Cycle:

• Decomposers release the carbon from dead plant and animal tissues back into the atmosphere.

Fossil Fuels & The Carbon Cycle:

• Over millions of years fossil fuels may form from the buried remains of plants and animals.

Fossil Fuels & The Carbon Cycle:

• This carbon reenters the atmosphere during combustion.

The Oceans & The Carbon Cycle:

• Dissolved carbon dioxide in sea water becomes deposited as calcium carbonate shells.

The Oceans & The Carbon Cycle:

• Over millions of years, these shells form sedimentary rock.

• Ocean deposits are the biggest sink of carbon on the planet.

• The Rock Cycle ultimately releases carbon stored in sedimentary rock.