Biological carbon acts on a timescale of thousands of years.
What is the biological carbon cycle?
- Carbon dioxide is the fundamental building block used by most autotrophs to create multi-carbon, high-energy compounds like glucose.
- These organisms use the energy derived from the sun to form the covalent bonds that connect carbon atoms.
- These chemical bonds store this energy for later use in the respiration process.
- Heterotrophs obtain high-energy carbon compounds from autotrophs by consuming them and breaking them down through respiration to produce cellular energy such as ATP.
- Aerobic respiration, the most efficient type of respiration, requires oxygen from the atmosphere or dissolved in water.
- As a result, there is a continuous exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between autotrophs (which require carbon) and heterotrophs (which need oxygen).
- The carbon cycle connects all living organisms on Earth by exchanging gases through the atmosphere and water.
The timescale of the carbon cycle
- One of the major biogeochemical cycles, the global carbon cycle, is divided into geological and biological components.
- The geological carbon cycle occurs over millions of years.
- The biological carbon cycle occurs over days to thousands of years.
Thus, we can conclude that thousands of years of timescale biological carbon cycle acts.
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