partial oxidation
Partial oxidation is when organic carbon is broken down, but not all the way. Partially oxidized carbon is not released into the atmosphere. Partial oxidation still requires oxygen (not as much as complete oxidation), though no carbon dioxide is produced.
An example would be "fading" of a colored fabric that you leave out in the sun, like a favorite blue hat that you wear all the time. The dye (which is made of organic carbon) gets broken down by light and fades in color, but it isn't converted into CO<sub>2</sub>.









a sequence of species that have evolved from a same ancestor.
