Topic 11 - Decay and the Carbon Cycle

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  • Living organisms remove materials from the environment for growth and other processes
    • These materials are returned to the environment either in waste materials or when living things die and decay
  • Materials decay because they are broken down (digested) by microorganisms
    • Microorganisms are more active and digest materials faster in warm, moist, aerobic conditions
  • The decay process releases substances that plants need to grow
  • In a stable community, the processes that remove materials are balanced by processes that return materials.  The materials are part of a constant cycle.
    • The cycling if carbon is called the carbon cycle
      • Carbon dioxide is removed from the environment by green plants and algae through photosynthesis

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