Question

chris wrote a few steps to describe how carbon circulates between the ground and living organisms
step 1. plants absorb carbon dioxide in the air through photosynthesis.
step 2. dead plants are broken down by decomposers.
step 3. carbon stays in the ground for long - term storage as fossilized carbon.
if step 1 is removed, which statement best describes the effects of this missing step on the carbon cycle?
more carbon is stored in plants for long - term storage.
less carbon is stored long - term in the ground.
less carbon is stored in the atmosphere instead of plants.
there are more fossil fuels available for energy use.

Explanation:

1. Analyze Step 1's role: Step 1 is plants absorbing CO₂ via photosynthesis, which takes carbon from the atmosphere and incorporates it into plants.
2. Evaluate Option 1: If Step 1 is removed, plants can't absorb CO₂ to store carbon, so less (not more) carbon is stored in plants. Eliminate this.
3. Evaluate Option 2: Without Step 1, plants don't take in carbon, so there are fewer plants (or less plant - based carbon) to die and be decomposed. With less decomposed plant matter, there's less carbon to be stored long - term in the ground as fossilized carbon. This option makes sense.
4. Evaluate Option 3: If plants don't absorb CO₂ (Step 1 removed), the CO₂ stays in the atmosphere. So there would be more (not less) carbon in the atmosphere instead of plants. Eliminate this.
5. Evaluate Option 4: Fossil fuels come from long - term storage of carbon from decomposed organic matter. With less plant matter being decomposed (due to no Step 1), there would be less fossil fuel formation, not more. Eliminate this.

Answer:

B. Less carbon is stored long - term in the ground.