Importance of photosynthesis in the Carbon Cycle
Let's define it:
the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize nutrients from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a by-product.
In simple words:
Plants use the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere along with water from the plants roots and sunlight to gain the energy they need to survive and function properly.
They take the molecules from the atmosphere in carbon dioxide and the water molecules to cconvert these molecules to glucose. Glucose is used to directly give the plant cells energy and is then converted back into products the plants can release back into the atmosphere (they release oxygen for animals to breathe in).
the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize nutrients from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a by-product.
In simple words:
Plants use the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere along with water from the plants roots and sunlight to gain the energy they need to survive and function properly.
They take the molecules from the atmosphere in carbon dioxide and the water molecules to cconvert these molecules to glucose. Glucose is used to directly give the plant cells energy and is then converted back into products the plants can release back into the atmosphere (they release oxygen for animals to breathe in).
Importance of Cellular Respiration in the Carbon Cycle
Let's define it:
the oxidation of organic compounds that occurs within cells, producing energy for cellular processes.
Process :
In this process glucose is broken down in the presence of molecular oxygen into six molecules of carbon dioxide, and much of the energy released is preserved by turning ADP and free phosphate into ATP. Cellular respiration occurs as a series of chemical reactions catalyzed by enzymes, the first of which is glycolysis, a series of anaerobic reactions in which glucose (a 6-carbon molecule) is split into two molecules of lactate (a 3-carbon molecule), producing a net gain of two ATP molecules. In a series of aerobic reactions, lactate is converted to pyruvate, which enters the mitochondrion and combines with oxygen to form an acetyl group, releasing carbon dioxide.
in simple words:
The cells of plants and animals as well as single celled organisms (bacteria) need cellular respiration to produce energy.
They do this in the mitochondria of cells (power plant) that converts the oxygen and glucose into carbon dioxide .
The carbon dioxide is then taken from the cells to be removed via the lungs into the atmosphere.
This is important in the cycle because it allows a route for carbon dioxide to go back into the atmosphere so the cycle can start again.
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