Carbon Cycle Overview

These flashcards cover key concepts of the carbon cycle, including sedimentation, fossilization, and the roles of different organisms in regulating carbon levels.

What is sedimentation in the carbon cycle?

Sedimentation is the process where carbon from dead marine organisms sinks to the bottom of the ocean and builds up in layers to eventually form rock, like limestone.

What is the role of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in marine organisms?

Organisms in lakes and oceans use calcium carbonate to build their shells or skeletons.

What happens to the remains of marine organisms after they die?

Their hard remains made of CaCO3 settle to the lake or ocean floor and eventually form layers of limestone.

What is fossilization?

Fossilization is the process where carbon from dead plants and animals becomes trapped underground without fully decomposing, transforming into fossil fuels over millions of years.

How did coal form?

Coal formed from giant plants that died in swamps over 300 million years ago, which were buried under water and dirt and transformed by heat and pressure.

How do producers regulate carbon levels in ecosystems?

Producers take CO2 out of the atmosphere via photosynthesis and release O2.

What role do consumers play in the carbon cycle?

Consumers take O2 from the atmosphere to release energy in sugars and release CO2 back into the atmosphere through cellular respiration.

What do decomposers do in the carbon cycle?

Decomposers break down organic compounds from dead organisms, converting carbon from their bodies into CO2 or soil carbon.