Question

Outline salient features of carbon cycling in an ecosystem.

Answer 1

Carbon is present in all living organisms. The plants require carbon dioxide for food production. Plants eaten by animals are digested and converted into energy. This process releases carbon dioxide again into the atmosphere through respiration.

Complete answer:
The carbon cycle is an essential environmental gaseous cycle. It has its reservoir pool in the atmosphere as carbon is taken up from the atmosphere mostly in the form of carbon dioxide. All of the biomolecules like lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins are made of carbon and its compounds.

The plants perform photosynthesis to make their food using sunlight and carbon dioxide. Glucose is a carbon compound formed due to photosynthesis. Now, this absorbed carbon dioxide needs to be reverted into the atmosphere. The consumer species like herbivores eat the plants to obtain glucose. Glucose is used to form energy in animals. The glucose is broken down into energy molecules called ATP as a product of cellular respiration. This process produces carbon dioxide as a by-product. This carbon dioxide is then released back into the air by the process of breathing. Also, the decomposition of dead and decaying animal bodies results in the liberation of carbon dioxide. Combustion of fuels, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, industrialization, deforestation, and other natural processes also revert the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Thus, the carbon cycle is a continuous process and it is the building block of most essential biomolecules.

Note: With increasing population and industrialization, more carbon dioxide is being deposited in the atmosphere than fixed. Deforestation is the major reason for the decrease in the carbon fixation process that confirms a balance. Thus, there is an urgent need to restore the balanced levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As it is a heat-resisting gas it is leading to global warming.