-Carbon dioxide is taken in by plants in order to carry out photosynthesis and make food.
-The carbon from the carbon dioxide is used to make carbohydrates, fats and proteins that make up the plant body. For example the cell wall of plants is made from cellulose - a carbohydrate.
-Some of this carbon is returned into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide when the plant respires. When these plants are eaten by other animals this carbon becomes part of the proteins and the fats that make up their bodies.
-When these animals respire some of this carbon becomes carbon dioxide and is released back into the atmosphere.
-When plants and animals die micro-organisms feed on their body. In order to do so these micro-organisms have to respire to produce energy. As a result they give out carbon dioxide as they respire
-Also the combustion of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere as they contain locked up carbon compounds.
You could be asked for the equation for photosynthesis:
Carbon Dioxide + Water ------> Glucose + Oxygen
OR the equation (balanced) for respiration
Glucose + Oxygen ------> Carbon dioxide + water + energy c6h12o2 + 6o2 -------> 6co2 + 6H20 + energy
ALSO why is more carbon dioxide been given out to the atmosphere than taken in?
As a result of deforestation less carbon dioxide is being taken in by plants for photosynthesis for food. Also due to the combustion of fossil fuels more and more carbon dioxide as given out and there are less trees available to remove this from the atmosphere due to deforestation.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Carbon dioxide was an abundant gas in the atmosphere in Earth's past. Its subsequent decline was caused primarily by…
- 2190 Words
- 9 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
← Carbon dioxide is a product of human and animal respiration and of the combustion of fossil fuels; produced by fermentation…
- 3348 Words
- 14 Pages
Good Essays -
photosynthesis. Because these plants are not taking in CO2 there is more of it in the…
- 969 Words
- 4 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
((Carbon Dioxide is a greenhouse gas. It is everywhere ranging from our bodies to the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is produced in living organisms as a result of cellular respiration (glucose + oxygen -->carbon dioxide + water + energy). It occurs in high concentrations in the tissues in our body. It then diffuses in the circulatory system where it may be carried in our blood))3. When this blood combines with water and then dissolves, Carbonic acid (hydrogen carbonate ions + hydrogen ions). are formed in the red blood cells which are then carried in the plasma. ((CO2 + H2O --> H2CO3))1. This dissolved carbon dioxide can easily change the pH of water. This carbonic acid is toxic to cells and therefore, whenever carbon dioxide is produced, the body tries to get rid of it before chemical activities are disturbed.…
- 1741 Words
- 11 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Carbon is an element essential to all living things on Earth. It undergoes two cycles that are necessary to stabilize the environment: the biological carbon cycle and the geological carbon cycle. In the biological carbon cycle, carbon is absorbed in plants and the inorganic carbon is converted to its biological form through photosynthesis via plants and phytoplankton ("Carbon cycle," 2008). During respiration, carbon dioxide reenters the air after being broken down for energy (ATP) carbon dioxide gas. Carbon that remains in the oceans sink are buried into the earth's crust. When humans extract oil and coal for energy usage the byproduct carbon dioxide is released affecting the geological carbon cycle. The biological cycle is affected in two ways. When forests are cleared for land usage, the burning causes a release in carbon dioxide and the cleared land can no longer assist in the process of photosynthesis or the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere ("Carbon cycle," 2008).…
- 1501 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
First, the plant uses the sunlight and the green color in their leaves to make sugar from carbon dioxide, or CO2, which is in the air. At the same time, the soil provides water and important minerals that are absorbed by the roots. This “food” is stored, while some of it is consumed. A curious fact, plants are the only living things that are capable of producing their own “food”, while also being able to be used as food for humans and animals.…
- 309 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches…
- 2022 Words
- 9 Pages
Good Essays -
As it absorbs energy from sunlight, this reaction is endothermic. Light energy is converted into chemical energy which is stored as glucose. When this occurs, most of the glucose is converted into complex carbohydrates such as starch which is used for energy and cellulose which makes up most of the plant wall which provides support and structure. .…
- 1825 Words
- 8 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Carbon dioxide is both a vital requirement for producers – the first organisms in any…
- 633 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
For example a plant uses carbon, sun, water from molecules of plant and nectar…humming bird takes sugar for energy…
- 2364 Words
- 10 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Plants require carbon dioxide in order to survive. They acquire the carbon dioxide via the leaves. When plants die, they can be buried by natural means and turn into fossil fuels. This process would take millions of years. If and when people burn the fossil fuel, the remaining carbon atoms are quickly exposed to the atmosphere and are turned back into carbon…
- 741 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In the carbon cycle, carbon dioxide is absorbed by the producers, plants, and then passed through the food chain as each species is consumed by the next. The carbon dioxide is then released back into the atmosphere through decomposition and waste. The combustion of coal, fossil fuel, oil and gasoline releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.…
- 651 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
If it grows too large it will not be able to take sufficient food and oxygen or eliminate waste molecules fast enough.…
- 1296 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
The carbon cycle starts with the reservoir of the carbon dioxide in the air, the carbon atoms move from carbon dioxide through photosynthesis into atoms of organic molecules that form the plants body. These carbon atoms are then further metabolized and are eaten and turned into tissue that all organisms in the ecosystem use. Half of the atoms are respired by the plants and animals and half are deposited back into the soil in the form of dead animal and plant matter, which are eaten by decomposers and transformed back into carbon dioxide. Humans impact this cycle because we are removing so much of the photosynthetic efforts of the plants in order to support our enterprises, we are “diverting 40% of the photosynthetic productivity of land plants to support human enterprises,” (pg 67). Two examples of our harmful tendencies are burning fossil fuels which has increased atmospheric carbon dioxide “35% over preindustrial levels,” (pg. 67) and logging. These both are being used naturally by the ecosystem and the lack of these resources causes stress and strain to keep the balance. At the rate it is going carbon to complete its cycle from the atmosphere through one or more living organism and back to the atmosphere happens about every 6 years.…
- 645 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Photosynthesis is a complex reaction, where plants (and some bacteria) release oxygen to change water and carbon dioxide to sugar for food. During photosynthesis plants and phytoplankton take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by absorbing it into their cells. And by using energy from the sun, they combine carbon dioxide and water to form sugar (C6H12O6) and oxygen. This is shown through the chemical equation: 6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2. The conversion of sunlight energy into chemical energy is associated with the green pigment chlorophyll (contained in the chloroplasts of a cell.) This is the compound that traps the sun’s light to start the process of photosynthesis. Glucose molecules are very simple sugars, and carbon atoms are locked up in them. The sugars are then converted into other molecules such as starch, fats, proteins, enzymes, and DNA. The sugar is…
- 516 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays