Question

In the carbon cycle, all of the atomic components are conserved; they are reused again and again. Why is energy NOT conserved in the carbon cycle?

A) Energy cannot be transformed, so when it is unused, it simply goes away.
B) Energy cannot be passed from one organism to another.
C) Energy is often lost as heat during processes used to maintain homeostasis.
D) Energy is not a quantity that can be used, so it does not need to be conserved.

Answer 1

Energy is not conserved in the carbon cycle because it is transformed into heat during biological processes, consistent with the law of conservation of energy.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the carbon cycle, while all atomic components are conserved, energy is not conserved in a similar way because energy transitions result in some of it being lost as heat, especially during processes that maintain homeostasis. This is consistent with the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy can be neither created nor destroyed but can be changed from one form to another. Therefore, through processes such as photosynthesis and cellular respiration, energy is transferred and transformed, but not all energy remains useful for doing work, as some is degraded to waste heat transferred to the environment.