Chris wrote a few steps to describe how carbon circulates between the ground and living organisms. Step 1. Plants absorb carbon dioxide in the air and use it to make their own food using photosynthesis.
Step 2. When plants or animals die, they are broken down by decomposers and their carbon returns to the soil.
Step 3. Carbon stays in the ground for long-term storage as fossilized carbon.

If step 1 is removed, which statement best describes the effects of this missing step on the carbon cycle?