![]() ![]() In the case of cattle, this cycle is about ten years. That is, carbon cycles between plants and the atmosphere in a short period of time, usually in the range of a few years to a few decades. The biogenic carbon cycle is a relatively fast cycle. Fossil Fuels Are Not Part of the Biogenic Carbon Cycle Rather it is part of the natural cycling of carbon through the biogenic carbon cycle. In essence, the methane belched from cattle is not adding new carbon to the atmosphere. From here, cattle can eat the plants and the cycle begins once again. Once converted to CO2, plants can again perform photosynthesis and fix that carbon back into cellulose. After about ten years, that methane is broken down and converted back to CO2. ![]() Cattle can use that carbon, upcycling the cellulose, for growth, milk production, and other metabolic processes.Īs a by-product of consuming cellulose, cattle belch out methane, there-by returning that carbon sequestered by plants back into the atmosphere. They are able to consume grasses and other plants that are high in cellulose and, through enteric fermentation, digest the carbon that is stored in cellulose. But guess who can digest cellulose?Ĭattle are made to digest cellulose. Two-thirds of all agricultural land is marginal, full of cellulose dense grasses that are indigestible to humans. Cellulose content is particularly high in grasses and shrubs found on marginal lands, which are places where grains and other human edible crops cannot grow. Cellulose happens to be the most abundant organic compound in the world, present in all grasses, shrubs, crops, and trees. When plants perform photosynthesis, carbon is primarily converted to cellulose, a form of carbohydrate that is one of the main building blocks for growing plants. ![]() This process is known as photosynthesis and it is central to the biogenic carbon cycle. Plants have the unique ability to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and deposit that carbon into plant leaves, roots, and stems while oxygen is released back into the atmosphere. The biogenic carbon cycle centers on the ability of plants to absorb and sequester carbon. While this is true, cattle do belch methane, it is actually part of an important natural cycle, known as the biogenic carbon cycle. Cattle are often thought to contribute to climate change because they belch methane (CH4), a greenhouse gas. ![]()
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