Multiple choice

When an organism containing carbon dies, how does the carbon return to the atmosphere?

  1. when consumers eat the dead organism, CO2 is released

  2. when decomposers consume them, CO2 is released

  3. the carbon bonds with the soil and becomes CO

  4. it does not return, the carbon is lost forever
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, break down organic matter from dead organisms, releasing carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide through cellular respiration.

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