Carbon compounds regulate the Earth's temperature, make up the food that sustains us, and provide energy that fuels our global economy. Most of Earth's carbon is stored in rocks and sediments. The rest is located in the ocean, atmosphere, and in living organisms. These are the reservoirs through which carbon cycles. The carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles and the water cycle the carbon cycle includes the uptake of carbon dioxide by plants through, its ingestion by animals and its release to the atmosphere through respiration and decay of organic materials.