Question

What role does respiration play in the cycling of carbon?

a) it releases carbon dioxide gas that was once part of living cells into the atmosphere
b) it removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and fixes it into organic compounds
c) it releases as much carbon dioxide as it takes in so it has no overall role in the cycle
d) it takes in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and uses it to build sugars

Answer 1

The carbon cycle is the pathways through which carbon is recycled in the biosphere. While cellular respiration releases carbon dioxide into the environment, photosynthesis pulls carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.