What are the stages of the Carbon Cycle? How are fossil fuels affecting CO2 levels?

Stage one: Carbon enters the atmosphere by - respiration in organisms (e.g. animals breathing) - combustion (e.g. burning of fossil fuels/ wood) - decomposition and decay (microorganisms respiration) Stage two: Carbon Dioxide is absorbed by producers in photosynthesis. Plants take in CO2 from the atmosphere in order to produce energy in the form of sugar via photosynthesis using sunlight. Stage three: Carbon transfer from organism to organism. Animals eat plants consuming the Carbon content and animals eat other animals transferring carbon from one to another. Stage four: animals and plants die, and the organisms are eaten by decomposers. Decomposers respire to release CO2 back into the air to be absorbed by producers again. Carbon enters the atmosphere through respiration (animals or decomposers) and combustion (fossil fuels, wood). Once it is in the atmosphere it can be taken up by plants for photosynthesis and becomes part of the food chain. Carbon can then be transferred from plant to animal and animal to animal in the food chain. During this time some carbon is released in respiration and the eventual death of the organisms will release further carbon as it is eaten by decomposers and released in their respiration. Fossil fuels are made out of dead organisms that have been stopped from decaying, trapping carbon inside and burning them releases the previously trapped carbon into the atmosphere. Burning fossil fues is affecting the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere as the carbon that was trapped in them was previously not in the atmosphere but with their use as fuels this is being released to increase atmospheric levels.