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The Global
Carbon Cycle
Equilibrium = A state of balance
The concentration of carbon in living matter
(18%) is almost 100 times greater than its
concentration in the earth (0.19%).
So living things extract carbon from their
nonliving environment.
For life to continue, this carbon
must be recycled and reused!
Carbon exists in the nonliving (abiotic) environment as :
carbon dioxide (CO2) in the
atmosphere and dissolved in
water as HCO3− (bicarbonate)
Calcite rocks,
limestone and coral
(CaCO3)
Deposits of coal,
petroleum, and natural
gas derived from onceliving things
(CnH2n+2)
dead organic
matter, e.g.,
humus in the soil
Carbon enters the biotic (living) world through :
the action of autotrophs:
primarily photoautotrophs,
like plants and algae, that
use the energy of light to
convert carbon dioxide to
organic matter.
Carbon returns to the atmosphere and water by :
respiration (as CO2) &
burning
decay (producing CO2
if oxygen is present,
methane (CH4) if it is
not.
Carbon returns to the atmosphere and water by :
respiration (as CO2) &
burning
decay (producing CO2
if oxygen is present,
methane (CH4) if it is
not.
Equilibrium = A state of balance
Transport (ways carbon moves between reservoirs)
Reservoir
Carbon Form
Put Into Reservoir
Taken Out of Reservoir
Transport (ways carbon moves between reservoirs)
Reservoir
Carbon Form
Put Into Reservoir
Taken Out of Reservoir
Atmosphere
CO2
Cellular Respiration in plants,
animals and decomposers
(mushrooms, bacteria)
Combustion, burning
Decay of dead organisms on
land
Photosynthesis in autotrophs
(green plants on land.)
Dissolving in water (where
the atmosphere touches the
water)
Coral and sea shell building
Transport (ways carbon moves between reservoirs)
Reservoir
Carbon Form
Put Into Reservoir
Taken Out of Reservoir
Ocean
HCO3(bicarbonate)
Cellular Respiration in
marine plants and animals
Dissolving corals and sea
shells
Decay of dead organisms in
the ocean
Photosynthesis in marine
autotrophs (blue green algae
in oceans and lakes.)
Dissolving in water (where
the atmosphere touches the
water)
Coral and sea shell building
Transport (ways carbon moves between reservoirs)
Reservoir
Carbon Form
Put Into Reservoir
Taken Out of Reservoir
Fossil Fuels
(coal, oil,
natural gas)
CnH2n+2
(CH4, C2H6, etc)
Dead plants buried
before they decay
Combustion, burning
(Humans pump it out of
the ground)
Transport (ways carbon moves between reservoirs)
Reservoir
Carbon Form
Put Into Reservoir
Taken Out of Reservoir
Carbonate
Rocks
(limestone &
coral)
CaCO3 (calcite)
Dissolving in water from
the atmosphere
Weathering (surface) and
dissolving release CO2
back into the atmosphere
Transport (ways carbon moves between reservoirs)
Reservoir
Carbon Form
Put Into Reservoir
Taken Out of Reservoir
Biomass (living
organisms)
CO2, CH4,
C6H12O6
(glucose), many
others
Consuming plant and
animal matter
Cellular Respiration
Transport (ways carbon moves between reservoirs)
Reservoir
Carbon Form
Put Into Reservoir
Taken Out of Reservoir
Dead Organic
Matter
CO2, CnH2n+2,
many other
Photosynthesis (if plant)
Consuming plant and
animal matter (if animal)
Decay
Decomposition (eaten by
microorganisms such as
bacteria)
Combusion, burning