Examine the model of the carbon cycle. Carbon is transferred from one biotic component, the cow, to a second biotic component, the decomposers. Using the model, select the one method that carbon is NOT transferred from animals to decomposers.
Responses
A as waste.as waste.
B in dead carcasses.in dead carcasses.
C as carbon dioxide.as carbon dioxide.
D in scraps of discarded food.
C as carbon dioxide.
When animals like cows respire, they release carbon dioxide directly into the atmosphere, not to decomposers. Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, typically obtain carbon from dead organic matter (like dead carcasses and waste products, including feces and discarded food scraps), breaking it down and causing it to decompose. Thus, carbon dioxide exhalation is not a method of carbon transfer from animals to decomposers in the carbon cycle.