Final answer:
Cellular respiration, which includes the breakdown of glucose to produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy, is a key step in the carbon cycle, releasing carbon back into the environment to be reused in photosynthesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cellular respiration relates to the cycling of carbon through the environment because it is part of the carbon cycle. In cellular respiration, glucose is broken down in the presence of oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water, releasing energy that is stored in ATP molecules. This can be represented by the chemical equation:
C6H12O6 + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + Energy
This process takes carbon that was fixed in glucose during photosynthesis and releases it back to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is then available to be used in photosynthesis by plants and other autotrophs to create new glucose molecules, continuing the cycle of carbon through the biosphere.