carbon cycle

The carbon cycle is defined as a series of naturally occurring processes where carbon is exchanged between organisms and the environment.

How the Carbon Cycle Works

• A plant absorbs carbon dioxide, which is naturally found in the Earth’s atmosphere.
• The plant uses the carbon dioxide in order to grow – the process of photosynthesis is how the plant converts carbon dioxide into sugars, using the heat of the sun and water from the ground to help. A human may then harvest the plant and eat it.
• The human absorbs the carbon atoms in the plant into his own body as nutrition, and his body grows and thrives. It also breathes – and when he breathes out, the human releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.
• If the human doesn’t harvest the plant and it dies in the first winter freeze, it will release carbon dioxide as it decomposes, just as the human will when one day he passes away.