ERT-1.D—Explain the steps and reservoir interactions in the carbon cycle

Explain the steps and reservoir interactions in the carbon cycle.

• The carbon cycle is the movement of atoms and molecules containing the element carbon between sources and sinks.
• Some of the reservoirs in which carbon compounds occur in the carbon cycle hold those compounds for long periods of time, while some hold them for relatively short periods of time.
• Carbon cycles between photosynthesis and cellular respiration in living things.
• Plant and animal decomposition have led to the storage of carbon over millions of years. The burning of fossil fuels quickly moves that stored carbon into atmospheric carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide.
• Enduring understanding ERT-1: Ecosystems are the result of biotic and abiotic interactions.