Carbon cycle

• Carbon

  A very important element because it's part of all living things and is consistently recycled through the environment
• Photosynthesis

  1. Removes carbon

  2. Green plants and algae take in carbon dioxide from the air

  3. Plants and algae use the carbon dioxide to make carbohydrates, fats and proteins
• Carbon in plants

  Passed on to animals when they eat the plants
• Carbon in animals

  • Animals use the carbon to make fats and proteins of their own
  • Carbon moves along the food chain when the animals are eaten by others
• Respiration and combustion

  Return carbon dioxide to the air
• Decomposition

  1. Decomposers (like bacteria and fungi) feed on dead plants and animals and their waste

  2. Decomposers respire, returning carbon dioxide to the air
• Fossil fuel formation

  1. Some dead plants and animal remains get buried and eventually form fossil fuels

  2. When fossil fuels are burnt (combustion), this releases carbon dioxide back into the air