The Importance of Carbon Answers

I started my journey drifting through the sky as a molecule of carbon dioxide. Suddenly, I was pulled into the leaf of a lush green fern through the process of photosynthesis, where I was transformed into a glucose molecule. My time as a plant part was short-lived, however, because a wandering deer decided to snack on the fern. Through consumption, I became part of the deer's body, but I didn't stay long. The deer used me for energy during cellular respiration, and I was exhaled back into the atmosphere to float once again. Years later, I was absorbed by a different plant that eventually died and was buried under layers of swampy sediment. Since I was trapped without much oxygen, decomposition happened very slowly over millions of years until the pressure of the earth turned me into fossil fuels. I remained deep underground until humans extracted the oil and burned it in an engine. Now, I am back in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, ready to begin my adventure through the carbon cycle all over again.

Lipids (fats) have more carbon bonds than carbohydrates and proteins. This is because energy is stored in chemical bonds, particularly carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds. Since lipids provide significantly more energy per gram (9 calories compared to 4 calories), they must contain a higher density of these energy-rich carbon bonds.