1.

3 The Carbon cycle

o Carbon: The fourth most abundant
element in the universe after
hydrogen, helium, and oxygen
▪ Carbon is a part of many compounds that
are part of living cells
▪ Eg: carbohydrates, proteins, fats
▪ Plants take carbon dioxide from the air and
make glucose when they do photosynthesis
▪ The carbon which was in the carbon dioxide
becomes a part of glucose
▪ Plants use this glucose to make proteins and
fats which also contain carbon atoms
▪ When animals eat plants, these carbon
atoms become a part of the animal body
▪ The carbon enters the body of decomposers
when they break down dead and rotting
animal or plant bodies
 Returning carbon dioxide to air

• Carbon dioxide is released

into the atmosphere when
animals and plants respire
• Glucose + oxygen →
carbon dioxide + water
Fossil fuels & combustion
▪ Dead bodies of organisms (plants and animals) which are buried
deep under many layers of Earth change into fossil fuels because
of the high temperature and pressure in those regions
▪ This change takes place over millions of years
▪ The main fossil fuels are natural gas, oil and coal.
▪ Oil is formed from the dead bodies of tiny marine organisms
▪ Coal is formed from the remains of plants
▪ All fossil fuels contain carbon which is from the carbohydrates,
proteins and fats in the bodies of dead organisms
▪ When the fossil fuels are burnt, these carbon atoms react with
oxygen in the atmosphere to form carbon dioxide
▪ This burning process is called combustion