Carbon gets from the atmosphere into living things primarily through the process of photosynthesis. In this process, plants and other autotrophs absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and use sunlight to convert it into organic molecules like glucose, which serve as the building blocks for growth and energy storage.
How Carbon Moves into Living Organisms
- Photosynthesis is the key process where plants absorb CO2 during daylight hours and use it to synthesize sugars, which are then transported throughout the plant.
- These sugars are then consumed by animals and other heterotrophs when they eat plants, passing the carbon compounds through the food chain.
- During respiration, both plants and animals break down organic molecules, releasing energy and carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, completing the cycle.
Additional Details on the Carbon Cycle
- Most of the carbon on Earth is stored in rocks, sediments, and fossil fuels, but a significant amount is exchanged in short-term biological processes.
- The ocean acts as both a sink and a source of carbon, dissolving atmospheric CO2 and releasing it through biological and chemical processes.
- Human activities, like burning fossil fuels and deforestation, disrupt this natural cycling by releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere as CO2, which contributes to climate change.
In summary, carbon primarily enters living organisms through photosynthesis, where plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and convert it into organic molecules, which then fuel the entire food chain.
