Question

Why are producers and consumers important to the carbon cycle?

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a
Cellular respiration, performed by both producers and consumers, makes oxygen.
b
Consumers produce carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.
c
Producers and consumers store and produce carbon compounds.
d
Producers produce carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.

Answer 1

Producers and consumers are crucial to the carbon cycle for the following reasons:

**c. Producers and consumers store and produce carbon compounds.**

Producers, such as plants, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and convert it into organic compounds (like glucose) that store carbon. Consumers (herbivores, carnivores, and decomposers) obtain energy by eating these producers or other consumers, releasing carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide during cellular respiration. This ongoing exchange of carbon compounds between producers and consumers helps to maintain the balance of carbon in the ecosystem.

The other options have inaccuracies:
- a. Cellular respiration releases carbon dioxide, not oxygen.
- b. Consumers do not produce carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, as they do not perform photosynthesis.
- d. Producers do not produce carbon dioxide during photosynthesis; they absorb it.

So, the best option is c.