Chapter 1 CARBON IS EVERYWHERE What do you have in common with a leaf a cow and a rock You are all made from carbon None of you would exist without the carbon cycle This bird and tree branch both contain carbon What else contains carbon
The Carbon Cycle Carbon is everywhere It is in the air It is in the ocean It is in plants and animals It is in soil and rocks Carbon moves between air water plants animals the ground and machines This movement is called the carbon cycle Most of Earth's carbon is in rocks and oceans But carbon is also in plants soil and the atmosphere
Carbon in Living Things Plants that grow on land take in carbon from the air Underwater plants take in carbon from the water Plants use sunlight to turn carbon into their own food A plant puts some of this carbon back into the air or water Most of the carbon stays in the plant Plants put some of their carbon back into the atmosphere through a process called respiration
All animals including humans need plants to live Some animals eat plants Some animals eat animals that eat plants Other animals eat both plants and animals When an animal eats carbon that was in plants goes into that animal LIONS LIKE ALL ANIMALS ARE PART OF THE CARBON CYCLE BECAUSE THEY EAT FOOD THAT CONTAINS CARBON
