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Carbon-based photosynthesis life caused a rise in oxygen on Earth. This increase of oxygen helped plate tectonics form the first continents. [10] It is frequently assumed in astrobiology that if life exists elsewhere in the Universe, it will also be carbon-based.
Understanding biological carbon fixation is essential for comprehending ecosystem dynamics, climate regulation, and the sustainability of life on Earth. [3] Organisms that grow by fixing carbon, such as most plants and algae, are called autotrophs. These include photoautotrophs (which use sunlight) and lithoautotrophs (which use inorganic ...
When animals eat plants, for example, the organic carbon stored in the plants is converted into other forms and utilized inside the animals. The same is true for bacteria and other heterotrophs. Dead plant material in or above soils remains there for some time before being respired by heterotrophs. Thus carbon is transferred in every step of ...
Some plants are tin hyperaccumulators, possibly to deter herbivory. Toxic in some forms, especially the organotin compounds, which include many potent biocides. titanium: 22: 2c: Present in most animals, possibly beneficial to plant growth, but not known to be essential; some plants are hyperaccumulators. [11] Common in medical implants. [11]
Climate change is altering the geographic range and seasonality of some insects that can carry diseases, for example Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that is the vector for dengue transmission. Global climate change has increased the occurrence of some infectious diseases. Infectious diseases whose transmission is impacted by climate change include, for example, vector-borne diseases like dengue ...
Dengue fever is an infectious disease caused by dengue viruses known to be in the tropical regions. [49] It is transmitted by the mosquito Aedes, or A. aegypti. [50] Dengue incidence has increased in the last few decades and is projected to continue to do so with changing climate conditions. [51] Dengue can be fatal.
Animal agriculture contributes to global warming, which leads to ocean acidification. This occurs because as carbon emissions increase, a chemical reaction occurs between carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and ocean water, causing seawater acidification. [182] The process is also known as the dissolution of inorganic carbon in seawater. [183]
Carbon on Earth naturally occurs in two stable isotopes, with 98.9% in the form of 12 C and 1.1% in 13 C. [1] [8] The ratio between these isotopes varies in biological organisms due to metabolic processes that selectively use one carbon isotope over the other, or "fractionate" carbon through kinetic or thermodynamic effects. [1]