Plants are crucial for the wellbeing of the planet and everything living in it. They are an integral part of the habitats in which we live. So integral in fact, that they often go unnoticed. Today, we are putting the spotlight on plants by highlighting just some of the many ways in which they are crucial. Read on to find out more!
Photosynthesis:
Plants are sources of food for important pollinators, such as Bumblebee species.
Unlike animals, plants can make their own food. They do this through a process known as photosynthesis. This process uses energy from sunlight to make the complex organic molecules needed to build and fuel the bodies of plants. Water and carbon dioxide are absorbed during photosynthesis, whereas oxygen is made and released as a by-product.
Photosynthesis is important for many reasons, but here are the three main ones:
Animals can’t photosynthesise. Instead, we need to eat food and extract energy from that using a process called respiration. This process uses oxygen and sugar to make energy (and water and carbon dioxide). This oxygen that we breathe is a by-product of photosynthesis.
In ecology, the sequence of what-eats-what is known as a food chain or a food web. Plants are the first thing in a food chain, meaning everything else that follows is only there because the plants are!
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, and so excessive release of this gas contributes to climate change. By absorbing carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, plants remove this gas from the atmosphere and lock it away in their tissues. This reduces the effects of human activity on our climate.
Medical Marvels and Flavoursome Food:
These are crocuses- the plant from which we get saffron.
Medicine is a critical and ever-evolving discipline. Our ever-increasing understanding of illnesses- and how to treat them- has improved the quality of life of millions. But this would not have been possible without plants. Many plants produce compounds- designed to protect them from fungal or bacterial infections, insects or other threats- that we have discovered treat human illnesses and diseases. By researching these compounds, we can synthesise more effective drugs and medical procedures.
And it doesn’t stop there! These and other compounds found in plants can also be used in the kitchen. Herbs and spices have been used to intimidate dinner guests, preserve food and add flavour for centuries. So much so that they shaped history and the cultures we see today. A great example of this is the influence of the spice trade.
A home for nature:
Hawthorn is often used to form hedgerows, which are an important habitat for nesting birds and other animals.
We have already mentioned that plants are the basis of food chains and food webs. But their structures are also important as habitats. Habitats are areas where specific species live. For example, a wetland habitat is home to ducks, geese, herons and water voles. Habitats are defined by the organisms living in them; this includes plants. Think of all the birds that nest in hedgerows, or all the insects that rely on leaf litter and deadwood. Habitats would have many fewer species in them if plants were not present!
Last but not least…
Daffodils are associated with spring, and are the national flower of Wales.
We could talk about the scientific importance of plants for days on end (don’t worry, we’re not going to). However, it’s important to recognise their social and cultural importance too. People love looking at plants! Think of the joy we get from enjoying the landscapes shaped by plants, or from gardening. Think of the symbolism of national flowers (ours is the Rose, and the national flower of Ukraine is the Sunflower), or giving flowers to others on special occasions. Plants have shaped the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the dyes we use on our clothes and how we interact with each other. Plants are therefore crucial for our mental and physical health, as well as our cultural identities. So, Plant Appreciation Day is well-earned!
References and Further Reading
Britannica (2022). Cellular Respiration [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.britannica.com/science/cellular-respiration [last accessed 11/04/2022].
Britannica (2022). Spice Trade [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.britannica.com/topic/spice-trade [last accessed 11/04/2022].
National Geographic Society (2022). Photosynthesis [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/photosynthesis/. [last accessed 11/04/2022].
Natural Environment Research Council (2022). The Greenhouse Effect [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-geology/climate-change/how-does-the-greenhouse-effect-work/ [last accessed 11/04/2022].
The Royal Society (2022). The Basics of Climate Change [webpage]. Accessed through https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/climate-change-evidence-causes/basics-of-climate-change/?gclid=CjwKCAjwo8-SBhAlEiwAopc9W_xl50R4k8Mn-qw-Yu1-Q2pqodaLurOnBWMw2Um4XrMWtvpeb2wfThoC00EQAvD_BwE [last accessed 11/04/2022].
World Wide Fund for Nature (2020). Food chains and food webs [webpage]. Accessed through https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/teacher_resources/webfieldtrips/food_chains/ [last accessed 11/04/2022].