Carbon cycle | gaseous cycle | CARBON FIXATION | RESPIRATION| COMBUSTION | Decomposition
Carbon is a main building block or constituent of all organic compounds al all organisms. Carbon in its gaseous form is present in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. carbon dioxide is dissolved in water to form carbonic acid. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is fixed by terrestrial green plants and algae and converted into carbohydrates by photosynthesis. Some carbohydrates are stored as fats and polysaccharides. The stored products are then eaten by consumers. carbon dioxide is added directly to the atmosphere by organisms during respiration. Part of the organic carbon was accumulated as fossil fuels e.g., coal, gas, and petroleum, limestone, and coral. The carbon of fossil fuels is now being released as carbon dioxide through industrial and agricultural processes. Decomposers break down the dead organisms and return the carbon in their bodies and to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide by respiration.
The carbon cycle describes the movement of carbon through the Earth's various reservoirs, including the atmosphere, oceans, and terrestrial ecosystems. The carbon atom is the principle building block of many kinds or molecules which make up living organisms. With its ability to form complex molecules such as DNA and proteins, carbon makes life on Earth possible. Plants and other autotrophic organisms, such as algae and some bacteria, use photosynthesis to convert CO2 into organic carbon compounds like glucose, which becomes part of their tissues. Organisms, including plants, animals, and decomposers, release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere through respiration. Carbon can be released into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil, and natural gas) for energy production, industrial processes, and transportation. Over long periods, some carbon is naturally isolated in the geosphere through processes like sedimentation and the formation of fossil fuels. CO2 is also released when some carbon compounds are decomposed by microorganisms. Thus, the CO2 cycle is maintained by the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition and fuel burning.
Atmosphere in one of the major reservoirs of carbon where it is present as carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is converted to organic carbon by the photoautotrophs during photosynthesis both in the land and water. Large quantities of carbon dioxide is dissolved in the water. The food carbohydrates or the organic carbon produced by producers are transferred to higher trophic levels in the food chain. Carbon is released to the atmosphere as Carbon dioxide from respiration of all organisms in land as well as in the water. Burning of wood and fossil fuel in industries, home or in transportation releases carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The source of fossil fuels is the remains of organisms that were buried a considerable time in the past. The dead organic matters are decomposed by the soil organisms. The decomposition and sedimentation also take place in the ocean and any aquatic environment. During the decomposition process, and the respiration of microorganism carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere.