How might the collapse of the carboniferous rainforests have affected earths carbon cycle? a. the loss of vegetation would have decreased the total amount of carbon in earths carbon cycle. b. over time, the decaying vegetation would have absorbed a large amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. c. over millions of years, decaying vegetation would have been buried and its carbon turned into fossil fuels. d. the total amount of carbon in the carbon cycle would have increased as the vegetation decayed.