A sole carbon particle: The degradation of particulate organic matter in the ocean is a central process in the global carbon cycle, the mode and tempo of which is determined by the bacterial communities that assemble on particle surfaces.
1.(from Latin: carbo "coal") is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making fourelectrons available to form covalent chemical bonds. It belongs to group 14 of the periodic table.[13] Carbon makes up only about 0.025 percent of Earth's crust.[14] Three isotopesoccur naturally, 12C and 13C being stable, while14C is a radionuclide, decaying with a half-lifeof about 5,730 years.[15] Carbon is one of thefew elements known since antiquity.[16]
