Question

58:57 What would most likely happen to life on Earth if the carbon cycle stopped? Life would continue unchanged. Life would cease to exist. Only plants would be affected. Only animals would be affected.

Answer 1

Answer: Life would cease to exist.

Explanation:

The carbon elements is one of the most important elements in the compound that make up living organisms. It is found: in the remains of living organisms; as fossil fuels such as coal, coke and natural gas; as inorganic salts such as carbonates; in water bodies and as gas carbondioxide which makes up 0.03% of air.

Carbon is continuously being circulated in the atmosphere through a process called the CARBON CYCLE. This involves the removal and addition of carbon to the carbondioxide in the atmosphere.

Life would indeed cease to exist if this carbon cycle stops due to the importance of carbon to functioning of living organisms. Important processes which bring about the recycling of carbon between living ( biotic) and non living (abiotic) components of an ecosystem are:

--> photosynthesis: the process used by green plants to remove carbon through carbondioxide from the atmosphere for manufacturing of their food.

--> respiration: animals respire to break down sugar leading to liberation of carbondioxide and water as wastes

--> and decay: decomposers feeds on remains and waste to bring about decay, thus complex carbon compounds are broken down to set free carbondioxide which returns to the atmosphere.

All the above processes are carried out by living organisms to maintain a functioning ecosystem by enabling a linear flow of energy through it.