How do plants support life?
How do plants help the earth?
Oxygen: Through photosynthesis, plants use carbon dioxide, sunlight, and water to create energy and release oxygen.
Recovery from natural disasters: Plants help protect soil from erosion and release nutrients to keep soils fertile. The growth and survival of plants depends on an ecosystem’s characteristics including the amount of sunlight, soil moisture, soil pH, flood depth, and salt tolerance.
Food: Plants make up the foundation of the food chain. In addition to feeding wildlife, thousands of species of plants have been cultivated for human consumption as well.
Interception of pollutants: Plants can catch airborne pollutants and purify drinking water. Wetland plants, for instance, help remove heavy metals and excessive levels of nutrients through their root systems.
Medicine: Many medicines are derived or modelled upon compounds provided by the natural world.