Question

Analyze the given diagram of the carbon cycle below.

An image of carbon cycle is shown. The sun, a cloud, two trees, one towards left and the other towards right, an animal, lake, and a factory are included. Arrow A points from the sun to the left tree. Arrow B points from the air above the clouds to the left tree. Arrow C points from the factory towards the air above the clouds. Arrow D points from the air to the lake labeled Carbonates in Water. Arrow E points from the label Dead Organism under the animal to label Fossils and Fossil Fuels. Arrow F points from the right tree to the air.

Part 1: Which process does arrow F represent?
Part 2: Explain how matter is conserved during the process.
Part 3: Justify why this process is a recycling of carbon in the carbon cycle.

Use complete sentences to explain your answer. (10 points)

Answer 1

Part 1:
Arrow F represents Cellular Respiration, showing how the tree produces carbon after it has finished the process of Cellular Respiration.

Part 2:
Matter is conserved in this image because it shows the process of Photosynthesis and cellular respiration. These are both examples of The Law of Conservation of Mass. During both of these processes, the mass of the reactants is the same as the mass of the products.

Part 3:
This process shows the carbon cycle by showing how carbon transfers to many different types of matter and back again. It shows the process of cellular respiration, which produces carbon using the products of photosynthesis, which uses the carbon produced by cellular respiration. This shows a cycle because each of them depends on the other.