Answer & explanation:
Carbon (C) is a chemical element of great importance to living beings, as it participates in the chemical composition of all organic components and a large portion of inorganics as well. To balance the breathing process, carbon is transformed into carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere in a very low concentration, approximately 0.03% and, in similar proportions, dissolved in the surface of the seas, oceans, rivers and lakes.
Removed from the atmosphere by photosynthesis, CO₂ carbon is incorporated into living beings when plants, using CO₂ from the air, or carbonates and bicarbonates dissolved in water, perform photosynthesis. Thus, the carbon of these compounds is used in the synthesis of organic compounds that will supply living things.
In the same way, chemosynthetic bacteria manufacture their organic substances from CO₂. The most commonly formed organic compounds are sugars (carbohydrates), but besides them, plants are capable of producing proteins, lipids and waxes in general.
Carbon is acquired by animals, directly or indirectly, from the plant kingdom during their feeding. Thus, herbivorous animals receive organic compounds from plants and, through their metabolism, are able to synthesize and even turn them into new types of products. The same is true of carnivorous animals, which feed on herbivores and so on.
