Science Common Sense
1225 - What role does carbon play in the ecosystem as it circulates through different substances like carbon dioxide and glucose, in both living and non-living things?
Carbon is like a superstar in our ecosystem. It helps all living things grow and work properly. Here's how it moves around:
Plants absorb carbon dioxide: From the air, plants take in a bad guy called carbon dioxide (CO2) and use energy from sunlight to turn it into a good guy called glucose (a type of sugar).
Glucose becomes food and energy: Plants use glucose to grow, and animals eat those plants to get energy. So, the carbon in glucose helps animals grow too.
Animals breathe out carbon dioxide: When animals breathe out, we release carbon dioxide back into the air.
Carbon dioxide goes back to the plants: This cycle starts all over, and plants take in the carbon dioxide again.
This loop is called the carbon cycle, and it's how carbon moves through our ecosystem, helping all living things grow and thrive. Even non-living things, like rocks and soil, store carbon, but they don't help it move around like living things do.