Here's a problem to solve: In one of the steps of the carbon cycle, a person exhales a molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Which of the following is most likely to happen next to the atom of carbon in this molecule?

Among the 4 following options, which is the correct answer?

- A: It may be used as part of a sugar in a plant.
 
- B: It may become part of a protein in an animal.
 
- C: It may be consumed as a fossil fuel is burned.
 
- D: It may be decomposed into carbon and oxygen by a bacterium.
 