CO2 + H2O ------> sugar
+ light
+ heat
Without CO2, there is no growth. CO2 IS an essential "vital" nutrient. ;-)
True as far as it goes, but in the context of biology, that is only half the cycle.
The other half is:
Sugars*-------Metabolism---> CO2+HOH+Energy, and around it goes, plants to animals to plants..
*(Including oligomers like starches)
When someone runs a propane CO2 generator in a tomato greenhouse, they are cycling the plant-produced O2 through another redox reaction to produce CO2 back to the plants, and the plants love it.
Absolutely. U R correct. That's why it's called the carbon cycle, not the carbon drain.