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Biology  /  Bio 0612  ·  Atom · ~20 seconds

Energy Flows and Degrades; Matter Cycles

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Matter cycles between organisms as carbon passes from carbon dioxide to sugar and back; energy flows one way instead, degrading to heat.

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A carbon atom fixed into sugar is respired and fixed again many times, but its light energy is gone for good.

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Students often expect energy to cycle back to producers like carbon does, instead of dissipating as heat each transfer.