The Great Barrier Reef: A Natural Wonder

The Carbon Cycle

Carbon is found in all living things, and is recycled through the atmosphere, land and
oceans. The carbon cycle is an important biogeochemical cycle – others include the
nitrogen and water cycles.

The carbon cycle describes how carbon moves through the atmosphere as carbon dioxide,
then is taken up by plants and used to produce carbohydrates during photosynthesis. As
plants are eaten by consumers, the carbon compounds pass along the food chain until they
die and are disposed of by decomposers. The carbon is then either returned to the
atmosphere as carbon dioxide, or is fossilised to be later used in combustion as a fossil fuel.
Carbon dioxide is also absorbed by oceans, and some of it is used by marine animals such as
clams and oysters, who use it to make their shells. Carbon is also released into the
atmosphere through animals’ respiration.

Draw a model of the carbon cycle using images, labels and arrows. You could also identify
some of the important processes on your model, including: photosynthesis, respiration and
calcification.

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