The Carbon Cycle

Carbon is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and is recycled through the ecosystem in two primary processes: one in which carbon is exchanged among living organisms, and one in which carbon is cycled over long periods of time through fossilized organic remains, weathering of rocks, and volcanic activity. Human activities, including increa...

In the carbon cycle, carbon atoms travel throughout the ecosystem.

Starting with photosynthesis, autotrophs, such as plants, transform carbon from the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide into consumable energy that is ingested by heterotrophs. These organisms can then return the carbon into the atmosphere through respiration or into...