Chapter 8.4

Photosynthesis has a global impact

• Carbon cycle: process which carbon moves from inorganic to organic compounds and back
  
• Photosynthesis converts inorganic carbon dioxide to organic compounds
• Consumers obtain organic compounds by eating producers
• Cellular respiration returns carbon dioxide to atmosphere
• Photosynthetic organisms produce 160 billion metric tons per year
• Carbon dioxiode makes sugars in photosynthesis
• Cellular respiration gives off carbon dioxide as waste
• Carbon dioxide in atmosphere traps heat
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• This keeps climate warm for living things
• Atmospheric carbon dioxide has been rising

Vocabulary

Carbon cycle: process by which carbon moves from inorganic to organic compounds and back

Greenhouse effect: process by which atmospheric gases trap heat close to Earth's surface and prevent it from escaping into space

Concept Check 8.4

1) Give an example of carbon moving from an inorganic compound to an organic compound in the carbon cycle. Give an example of carbon moving from an organic to an inorganic compound. When humans eat broccoli, they get carbon from it. When humans exhale, they release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

2) How is carbon dioxide important to Earth's climate?

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere traps heat from the sun to keep the world climate warm enough for living things.