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The Carbon Cycle

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Carbon is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and is recycled through the ecosystem in two primary processes: one in which carbon is exchanged among living organisms, and one in which carbon is cycled over long periods of time through fossilized organic remains, weathering of rocks, and volcanic activity. Human activities, including increased agricultural practices and the burning of fossil fuels, has greatly affected the balance of the natural carbon cycle.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 3, 2025

Utilizing Soil Density Fractionation to Separate Distinct Soil Carbon Pools

Utilizing Soil Density Fractionation to Separate Distinct Soil Carbon Pools

Published on: December 16, 2022

Trait diversity shapes the carbon cycle.

Mar Sobral¹, Matthias Schleuning², Antonio Martínez Cortizas¹

¹CRETUS, EcoPast (GI-1553), Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

|April 12, 2023

Summary

Organismal carbon economics influences trait evolution. This study reveals how ecological community trait diversity impacts the global carbon cycle, with shifts in diversity predicting changes in carbon dynamics.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Biogeochemistry

Background:

Trait evolution is fundamentally linked to carbon economics at the organismal level.
Understanding these links at the ecosystem level is crucial for predicting ecosystem functions.

Purpose of the Study:

To extend the concept of carbon economics from organismal to ecosystem levels.
To investigate the influence of ecological community trait diversity on the carbon cycle.

Main Methods:

This study theoretically expands on existing frameworks of carbon economics.
It analyzes the relationship between trait diversity metrics and carbon cycle processes.

Main Results:

Trait diversity within ecological communities significantly influences ecosystem-level carbon cycling.
Systematic alterations in trait diversity are predicted to induce substantial changes in the carbon cycle.

Conclusions:

The diversity of traits in ecological communities is a key driver of the carbon cycle.
Changes in trait diversity represent a critical factor for understanding and predicting future carbon dynamics.