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5.1: Carbon cycle

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    131139
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    The global carbon cycle includes carbon compounds with oxidation states ranging between \(+4\) and \(-4\) (Fig. \(5.1\)). Organisms contribute to the cycle by fixing carbon to generate biomass and using carbon compounds in catabolic reactions. Geological processes help drive the cycle through weathering, mineral deposition, burial, metamorphism, subduction, and volcanism. Moreover, humans help drive the cycle by altering the land surface, combusting fossil fuels, and other activities. Together these coupled biotic and abiotic processes transform carbon among various states on timescales ranging from hours to millions of years (Berner, 2003).

    Diagram showing the different types of microbial contributions to the global carbon cycle.
    Figure \(5.1\): Microbial contributions to the global carbon cycle. Microbial reactions are labeled in blue font and solid phases are in orange font. Corg represents carbon in organic compounds. Figure based on figure 1 of Ferry (2010).
    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carbon_cycle.png

    This page titled 5.1: Carbon cycle is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Matthew F Kirk via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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