Which organisms play a role in returning carbon to the atmosphere?
a. decomposers only.
b. consumers only.
c. producers, consumers, and decomposers.
d. consumers and decomposers, but not producers.
e. producers only.

c. Producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Explanation:

Producers are organisms that produce their own food without feeding on other organisms, e.g. Plants. During photosynthesis, plants obtain carbon by using carbon dioxide from the environment to manufacture food in form of sugar molecules.

Consumers such as herbivores and humans, feed on plants (producers) to obtain carbon from them through cellular respiration, which is released.

Decomposers such as fungi and bacteria decompose dead plants and animals, which leads to the release of carbon back to the atmosphere.

Producers, consumers, and decomposers all play a role in returning carbon to the atmosphere.

C

Explanation:

All living organisms require energy to perform certain functions. The process by which they obtain this energy is called CELLULAR RESPIRATION. In this process, they breakdown organic molecules in order to release the energy stored in them as ATP. During this process of respiration, they contribute to the carbon cycle by helping to return carbon in form of Carbondioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere.

Even Producers like plant that make use of this CO2 to make their food, respire. They respire in order to break down the organic molecules they synthesized into an energy form usable by their cells. Consumers also undergo this same process of respiration and they both release CO2 (carbon) into the atmosphere as a waste product. Decomposers help to degrade dead organisms and in the process they release carbondioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere.

In a nutshell, producers, consumers and decomposers all in one way or the other release carbon in its compound form (CO2) into the atmosphere via processes they undergo.