Final answer:
Organisms store carbon through photosynthesis, converting CO2 to organic carbon, which is then transferred through the food chain and can become buried and fossilized in long-term reservoirs. Oceans also store carbon in sediments. Human activities and natural events can release stored carbon back into the atmosphere.
Step-by-step explanation:
How Various Organisms Store Carbon
Organisms store carbon in multiple ways as part of the biogeochemical carbon cycle. For instance, photosynthesis is a process where plants and other autotrophs convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into organic matter, like glucose, effectively sequestering carbon into biomass. Animals then acquire this carbon by consuming plants or other animals. Leftover organic matter from dead organisms can become buried and fossilized, forming long-term carbon reservoirs such as coal, oil, and natural gas. The oceans also serve as a significant carbon sink, with marine organisms contributing to this through the formation of shells and skeletal material made of calcium carbonate, which can become ocean sediment. Human activities and geological processes such as volcanic eruptions can release this stored carbon back into the atmosphere.
Photosynthetic organisms not only draw carbon dioxide from the air but also produce oxygen as a by-product, supporting aerobic life. Thus, the exchange between autotrophs and heterotrophs, as well as the wider carbon exchange cycle, connects all life on Earth. This intricate exchange allows carbon to move between the atmosphere, land, and water through a complex series of processes that span from rapid biological exchanges to slow geological cycles, affecting every living organism on the planet.