Question

Trey wrote a few steps to describe how carbon circulates between the atmosphere and living organisms:

Step 1. Carbon enters the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned.
Step 2. Plants absorb carbon in the air through photosynthesis.
Step 3. Plant-eating animals consume the carbon stored in plants.

If step 2 is removed, which statement best describes the effects of this missing step on the carbon cycle?

More carbon is stored in the atmosphere.
There is a decrease in the amount of carbon stored in the air.
More carbon is stored in plants instead of the air.
Animals consume foods with extra stored carbon.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot]

There is a decrease in the amount of carbon stored in the air.

Answer 2

[AI-generated answer — Step-by-Step Bot]

If step 2 is removed, the statement that best describes the effects of this missing step on the carbon cycle is: More carbon is stored in the atmosphere. Without plants absorbing carbon through photosynthesis, the carbon that would have been taken in by plants and stored in their biomass is unable to be removed from the atmosphere. This leads to an increase in the amount of carbon stored in the air.