Theory question 207
The Ecosystem(a) Name four components of the ecosystem
(b) How does the carbon cycle explain the inter-dependence of the components in the ecosystem?
Show the model answer
(a) Atmosphere (air), hydrosphere (water), lithosphere (rocks and soil), biosphere (living things); or producers, consumers, decomposers and abiotic factors
(b) Green plants take carbon dioxide from the air for photosynthesis to make food; animals eat plants and get carbon; plants and animals return CO₂ to the air by respiration; decomposers break down dead organisms, releasing CO₂ to air and nutrients to soil; carbon dissolves in water and forms carbonate rocks; fossil fuels formed from buried organisms release CO₂ when burned by man – so living and non-living parts depend on each other
Trace carbon through air, plants, animals, soil and back.