Question

How does cellular respiration affect the carbon cycle?

Answer 1

Hint: Carbon cycle is representation of carbon circulation in various forms through the environment around us. It can also be defined as the process by which nature reuses carbon atoms which moves from the atmosphere to organisms and again back to the atmosphere again and again.

Complete answer:
Carbon is a chemical element with atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent. It belongs to group 14 of the periodic table. All major elements circulate in the environment in various forms. Elemental carbon exists in several forms, each of which has its own physical characteristics. Two of its well-defined forms, diamond and graphite, are crystalline in structure. Carbon is widely distributed as coal and is also present in the organic compounds that constitute petroleum, natural gas, and all plant and animal tissue.

Nature reuses carbon atoms, it travels from the atmosphere into organisms in the Earth and then back into the atmosphere over again. Carbon is an essential element in the bodies of living organisms. Autotrophs (plants which produce food) capture carbon dioxide from the air or bicarbonate ions from the water and use them to make organic compounds such as glucose, fats, and proteins.. Consumers or heterotrophs such as humans and animals consume the organic molecules. Thus the organic carbon is passed through food chains and webs. The by-product of photosynthesis is oxygen, which plants release into the atmosphere through the stomata. Inside the cells of consumers, energy is extracted from the food in a process called cellular respiration.

The above mentioned cellular respiration and photosynthesis are important parts of the carbon cycle. The carbon cycle is the circulatory pathway of carbon through which carbon is recycled in the environment. While cellular respiration releases carbon dioxide into the environment, photosynthesis pulls carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. These processes are opposite in nature. In this way, photosynthesis and cellular respiration are linked in the carbon cycle. The exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen during photosynthesis and cellular respiration worldwide helps to stabilize atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. The global rates of photosynthesis and cellular respiration influence the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Note: Decomposers like bacteria and fungi decompose the nutrients present in the remains of dead plants and animals. They extract the energy present in the chemical bonds of the organic matter and release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The remains also become buried in sediment, and eventually densify into rocks such as limestone, dolomite and fossils.