Question

Chitin and cellulose are molecules that do not spontaneously break down but can be digested by bacteria and some other microorganisms. Since carbon is not among the most common elements in the earth's crust, what would happen if all of the chitin-digesting and cellulose-digesting organisms on the earth were destroyed?

Answer 1

There would be less carbon, so the photosynthetic organisms would lack the carbon dioxide (CO2) needed for their metabolism. Since photosynthetic organisms requires CO2 to create carbohydrates, lack of CO2 will potentially leadi to their death, as well as the death of organisms that depend on them for food.