[Campbell Biology P.682] How does the passage connect the Carboniferous forests and the form... | Practice Question

How does the passage connect the Carboniferous forests and the formation of coal to atmospheric CO2 levels?

  • A: The decay of dead plant matter in swamps *released* significant CO2, contributing to global warming.
  • B: The conversion of peat to coal stored atmospheric CO2 underground, contributing to its *removal*.
  • C: Coal formation was independent of the early forests' impact on CO2, being a purely geological process.
  • D: The burning of coal today is a natural cycle that returns stored carbon to the atmosphere, balancing CO2 levels.

Explanation

The passage explains two mechanisms: first, roots of early vascular plants secreted acids to break down rocks, leading to CO2 storage in marine rocks. Second, 'the seedless vascular plants that formed the first forests eventually became coal, again removing CO2 from the atmosphere for long periods of time.' The process involved dead organic material turning to peat, then coal, storing carbon underground.