Final answer:
The correct statement is 'c. Chemoautotrophs use chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide to form organic matter,' illustrating part of the biogeochemical cycle and the role of autotrophs in fixing carbon into organic compounds through processes like photosynthesis and chemosynthesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that describes how chemical elements move through an ecosystem is 'c. Chemoautotrophs use chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide to form organic matter.' This statement captures the essence of the biogeochemical cycle pertaining to the carbon cycle. Heterotrophs, such as animals, and autotrophs, such as plants, are the primary partners in this exchange. Autotrophs, including both photoautotrophs and chemoautotrophs, fix carbon dioxide to produce organic molecules, like glucose. These organic compounds store the energy that can later be accessed through processes like respiration by heterotrophs.
It's important to recognize that photoautotrophs use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. On the other hand, autotrophs that are not photosynthetic, chemoautotrophs, utilize inorganic chemicals (e.g., hydrogen sulfide) as an energy source to fix carbon. These interactions are essential components of the energy cycle, where energy flows through the ecosystem and matter, such as carbon, is recycled. Heterotrophs acquire carbon by eating autotrophs or other heterotrophs. When heterotrophs and autotrophs perform aerobic respiration, they consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide as a waste product. This carbon dioxide is then available to be used again by autotrophs, thus keeping the carbon cycling through the ecosystem.