Final answer:
The sequence of the carbon cycle begins with atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is converted to organic carbon through photosynthesis. Respiration then cycles organic carbon back to CO2, and fossilized organic matter can reintroduce carbon through volcanic activity or human emissions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Carbon Cycle and Carbon Dioxide
Recreating the sequence of events in the carbon cycle starting with carbon dioxide gas involves several key steps. Firstly, carbon dioxide exists in the atmosphere and is dissolved in water. Through photosynthesis, plants convert this carbon dioxide into organic carbon, in the form of carbohydrates, which serve as food for the plants and the organisms that consume them. Then, creatures that have consumed these plants respire, which cycles the organic carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas. Over time, dead material from living organisms can get buried and fossilize, resulting in long-term storage of organic carbon. Geological processes like volcanic activity and, in more recent times, human activities such as burning fossil fuels, release this stored carbon back into the cycle.
Understanding that the carbon cycle combines carbon with energy to build life-essential molecules like carbohydrates is fundamental. In addition, human emissions and the combustion of organic matter are influential in cycling carbon back into the atmosphere, impacting the global carbon cycle and contributing to climate change. Notably, the Calvin cycle is responsible for the reactions in photosynthesis that store energy and form glucose and other carbohydrate molecules from atmospheric carbon dioxide.