The leafy parts of plants contain comparatively little stored food but they are necessary because of the vitamins and mineral salts they contain and the mechanical effect of their indigestible cellulose. This is true also of the fleshy fruits that may also contain various organic acids.
Since the development of agriculture 10, years ago, plants have been viewed primarily as a source of food. However their impact and role is far greater and far older. The emergence of photosynthetic plant life as a dominant force on earth transformed our atmosphere into the oxygen-rich air we breathe. In addition to releasing oxygen, plants use carbon dioxide to complete the carbon cycle and recycle the CO 2 released by humans and other heterotrophs.
CO 2 uptake can also help mitigate the greenhouse effect and climate change. Therefore plants are very important to maintain the balance in an ecosystem and drive most of important biological processes.
Plants are integral to the ecosystems they inhabit and contribute to enriching their environment. Plants improve their habitat by constantly filtering the air, water, and soil they reside in. Phytoremediation is the process of removing pollutants by either containing, degrading, or eliminating contaminates such as solvents, pesticides, metals, crude oil and its derivatives.
Plants also actively shape their environment by creating local climates in forests and marshes and reduce the risk of natural disasters such as droughts by retaining ground water.
Conversely plant roots minimize soil erosion by rain and wind by holding the top soil in place and controlling the flow of water.
However unlike plants, humans do not always contribute positively to their environment or use their resources effectively. Whereas plants foster diverse ecosystems, humans have caused extinction and promoted artificial selection creating a myriad of new problems. While there is ample food to feed everyone, localized social inequality, political unrest, and economic policies drive hunger.
Many of these solutions can be adapted to human problems. A sustainable outlook would necessitate accepting our role as a dependent subsystem of the ecosphere and from there striving to maintain our habitat. Throughout the world, plants are extremely important ecologically and are found everywhere. It could be stated that plants have essentially led to the beginning of aerobic life due to their production of oxygen required for life to form.
It is for this reason that precautionary measures must be taken in order to sustain adequate plant populations necessary for our survival. Plants are also important in the regulation of global climate change. Carbon dioxide is consistently being dispersed into the surrounding atmosphere, creating conditions where temperatures become warmer.
Trees are effective in removing the carbon dioxide from the surrounding air and transforming it, by photosynthesis into oxygen, therefore in some aspect controlling the temperature of the atmosphere. Light emitted from the sun also contributes to the heating of the atmosphere. Plants are important environmentally for various reasons. To some animals, one plant species may be their only source of food, and if taken away, the animal depending on this species may not survive.
For this reason, we must try to preserve natural habitats containing native vegetation from which these animals feed. The removal of one plant species may be linked to the removal of one animal species which could also be detrimental in removing an entire ecosystem of living entities.
Certain animals consider the plants that they live among as their home. For example, by replacing a forest with agricultural land, we are essentially removing the habitat of larger species such as bears, deer, owls, etc.
These modifications may also lead to the extinction of various animal species. Preserving the biodiversity of plant species allows us to also sustain a population of various animal species within their ecosystem. Symbiotic relationships are also created among trees and other living entities fungi, bacteria, etc. As an example, plants require a sufficient amount of water from the soil and therefore allow fungi to attach to the roots to gain additional moisture deeper into the soil, while the fungi benefit from the nutrients provided by the plant.
A diversity of organisms living within an ecosystem allows for sufficient interaction among life forms. Biodiversity of plants on the Earth provides aesthetic value to humans, especially the flowers that make our gardens so pleasant. Trees provide wood and many other useful possessions. Plants, especially trees can help make and preserve soil. Plants also provide nutrients to livestock which many humans eat. Cotton, hemp and flax are plant materials used to make clothing.
These plants offer a variety of uses once fibers are cultivated -- such as clothing, paper, rope, oil and numerous other items. Plants provide material for shelter. This includes planks of wood from trees, straw for roofs and bricks, and leaves that can be used for roof materials and shelters.
Early bricks were made by combining straw, water and clay. Mixing these ingredients together, placing in molds and drying in the sun or oven are the basic steps required to make a simple brick. Herbs enhance the human diet by adding flavor, color and aroma to what you eat. Herbs also create cultural identities that you can associate with certain meals.
Birds, insects, and many other animals live in trees and other plants. People use wood from trees to build homes. Did you know that some plants eat bugs? When a bug tries to sip the juice, the leaf snaps shut. It takes about a week for the plant to finish its insect meal! But they do have ways to stay safe. Read the clues to learn about some plant defenses. Look at the photos.
Then write the letter of the plant that matches each clue. Researchers recently studied the bond between kids and animals. They recruited 30 children and their dogs. The kids brought their dogs to a large, empty room. The kids walked around the space. Sometimes, they paused or changed direction.
Egg Female frogs lay eggs. Tadpoles hatch from these eggs.
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