Question

fill in the table to summarize your understanding of the carbon cycle and the role that producers, consumers, and decomposers play in it.
role they play in the carbon cycle
producer

consumer

decomposer

expert study tip
creating your own explanations improves your recall
when you copy text word for word, your brain doesn’t process the knowledge deeply, so you’ll find it more difficult to remember and understand. the more you can express an idea in your own words, the more you will understand.
check your understanding
learning goal 1
i can identify that energy flows through a food chain from producers to top - level consumers
i can describe ways that energy is lost from food chains
i can explain why energy is lost in each step of a food chain
learning goal 2
i can identify key processes that transfer matter in food chains
i can explain why matter is lost from a food chain
learning goal 3
i can identify key processes in the carbon cycle
i can describe how carbon cycles through ecosystems

Explanation:

• Producers use photosynthesis to take in atmospheric carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) and convert it into organic carbon compounds (like glucose) that form their biomass. They also release $CO_2$ back into the atmosphere via cellular respiration.
• Consumers obtain carbon by eating producers or other consumers, incorporating the organic carbon into their own biomass. They release $CO_2$ through cellular respiration, and some carbon is stored in their bodies until they die.
• Decomposers break down the dead biomass of producers and consumers, releasing stored carbon as $CO_2$ back into the atmosphere via cellular respiration, and also return some carbon to the soil as organic matter.

Answer:

Organism Type	Role they play in the carbon cycle
consumer	Obtain organic carbon by eating other organisms; release $CO_2$ via cellular respiration; store carbon in biomass until death.
decomposer	Break down dead organic matter, releasing $CO_2$ via respiration; return carbon to soil as organic material.