Question

Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem. You should use multiple parts of the carbon cycle to demonstrate this cycle.

Answer 1

The carbon cycle is a biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of carbon between living organisms and the environment. It involves both rapid carbon exchange among living organisms and long-term cycling through geologic processes such as volcanic activity and the burning of fossil fuels. Carbon moves through food chains and webs, and some is released back to the environment by decomposers.

Step-by-step explanation:

The carbon cycle is a biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of carbon between living organisms and the environment. It is divided into two interconnected sub-cycles: one dealing with rapid carbon exchange among living organisms and the other dealing with the long-term cycling of carbon through geologic processes. In the rapid carbon exchange sub-cycle, carbon moves through food chains and webs as organisms perform cellular respiration and photosynthesis. Some carbon is released back to the environment by decomposers. In the long-term carbon cycling sub-cycle, carbon is stored in the Earth's crust as fossil fuels and is released through processes such as volcanic activity and the burning of fossil fuels by humans.