Biology / Unit 9 Bio 1959 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Prokaryotes and the Carbon Cycle
Captions available
The idea
Prokaryotes cycle carbon between organic and inorganic forms, acting as producers that fix carbon dioxide or decomposers that release it back through respiration.
In practice
Marine photosynthetic bacteria remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while decomposer bacteria return it by breaking down dead organisms.
Where people slip
Decomposers are essential carbon-cycle participants, not incidental cleanup organisms— without them, carbon would stay locked in dead biomass.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for Biology