Long description

This is a pictorial diagram of the basic carbon cycle. It is a closed circle of four arrows and four items. All the arrows flow in the same direction and each connects one of the items with the next. At the bottom is a drawing showing a giraffe by a tree and grass that is labelled ‘respiration in plants and animals’. An arrow flows to a box containing the text carbon dioxide plus water, using chemical symbols. The second arrow flows to the top to a drawing of a tree and plants with the sun shining, which is labelled ‘photosynthesis in plants (with sunlight)’. This progress from the first drawing to the second illustrates that water and carbon dioxide are released by respiration and taken up during photosynthesis. The third arrow flows down the top right-hand side of the diagram to a box containing the text ‘carbohydrates plus O2’. The fourth arrow flows to the first picture to complete the circle. The progress from the second picture to the first illustrates that oxygen and carbohydrates are released by during photosynthesis and taken up respiration.