Explain Like I’m Five. As if you were writing a children’s book on this topic.
In: Biology
Plants can make sugar (six carbons) and oxygen from carbon dioxide (one carbon), water and sunlight by photosynthesis.
Plants and animals use sugar for energy during cellular respiration. They convert sugar (six carbons) and oxygen into carbon dioxide (one carbon) and water plus energy which it can use.
So a Carbon atom can be seen as going through a cycle. It can be in the air as carbon dioxide. Converted to sugar by a plant’s photosynthesis. And then later converted back into carbon dioxide by that plants own respiration or if the plant is eaten by an animal by that animal’s respiration. This carbon dioxide is available to be used in photosynthesis again.
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