What is the Carbon Cycle?
The carbon cycle is the continuous process by which carbon is exchanged between organisms and the environment.
How Does This Apply to Yellowstone?
Carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere by plants and is then converted to carbohydrates during the photosynthesis process. Carbon is then passed into the food chain and returned to the atmosphere by the respiration and plants, etc. The burning of fossil fuels and decomposition also releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The Carbon Cycle occurs all around the world as it is essential to the life of humans, plants, and other living organisms. Yellowstone, America’s first national park, experiences the Carbon Cycle in both negative and positive ways. Let’s start with the positive. Wildfires are very predominant in Yellowstone National Park and the ecosystems there have learned to adapt to them to help whatever is living in the area to be able to survive after the natural distaster. There are some plants that allow the roots to continue living even if the top of the plant has been burnt off. As crazy as it sounds, some plants rely on fire in order to reproduce. For example, Lodgepole Pines need fire to burn off the resin that keeps the pinecones closed in order to open up new spaces where new seeds can grow. However, fires can also effect the Carbon Cycle in a negative way as well. When a wildfire occurs, they release more carbon into the atmosphere than the area is able to capture so it opens up the doors to possibly causing a growing problem. Plants are responsible for regrowing in the burnt area in order to absorb the access Carbon that the fire had released. Though depending on how large the fire was, the difficulty in this may vary, depending on how much the carbon balance had been altered. This is also an issue considering the goal of Yellowstone National Park is to protect and preserve the geysers and the hot springs, not to protect the wildlife. The Carbon Cycle is very complex and can affect Yellowstone and other areas and many different ways, both positive and negative.
The carbon cycle is the continuous process by which carbon is exchanged between organisms and the environment.
How Does This Apply to Yellowstone?
Carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere by plants and is then converted to carbohydrates during the photosynthesis process. Carbon is then passed into the food chain and returned to the atmosphere by the respiration and plants, etc. The burning of fossil fuels and decomposition also releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The Carbon Cycle occurs all around the world as it is essential to the life of humans, plants, and other living organisms. Yellowstone, America’s first national park, experiences the Carbon Cycle in both negative and positive ways. Let’s start with the positive. Wildfires are very predominant in Yellowstone National Park and the ecosystems there have learned to adapt to them to help whatever is living in the area to be able to survive after the natural distaster. There are some plants that allow the roots to continue living even if the top of the plant has been burnt off. As crazy as it sounds, some plants rely on fire in order to reproduce. For example, Lodgepole Pines need fire to burn off the resin that keeps the pinecones closed in order to open up new spaces where new seeds can grow. However, fires can also effect the Carbon Cycle in a negative way as well. When a wildfire occurs, they release more carbon into the atmosphere than the area is able to capture so it opens up the doors to possibly causing a growing problem. Plants are responsible for regrowing in the burnt area in order to absorb the access Carbon that the fire had released. Though depending on how large the fire was, the difficulty in this may vary, depending on how much the carbon balance had been altered. This is also an issue considering the goal of Yellowstone National Park is to protect and preserve the geysers and the hot springs, not to protect the wildlife. The Carbon Cycle is very complex and can affect Yellowstone and other areas and many different ways, both positive and negative.