The Forest Buddies      
Save The Forests, Save Our Lives
   
 
The carbon cycle
Introduction

Carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide, diffuses from the surrounding air into the plant cells through the stomata and then circulates back into the environment again. This cycle is called the carbon cycle.

Photosynthesis and respiration

Plants use carbon dioxide from the air during photosynthesis to make glucose and starch. During the day, plants photosynthesize and take in carbon dioxide from the air while they respire at night and release carbon dioxide into the air. When animals and decomposers respire, carbon dioxide is released into the air as well.

Rainforests: The Lungs of our Planet
   
At the same time, rainforests are the "Lungs of our Planet" because they provide the recycling of carbon dioxide into oxygen during the process called photosynthesis whereby plants trap sunlight to produce food with the help of a green pigment called chlorophyll. Without trees this process will be limited and there may not be enough oxygen to support life on Earth.
Carbon dioxide, circulates from the environment into the cells of plants and back to the environment again
(Photograph taken by the Forest Buddies Team)

Sources:
Carbon cycle. (2008, March 14). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:58, March 16, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carbon_cycle&oldid=198304051

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