The Most Important Plant Products on Earth

By Bakari Hargett-Robinson

Plants Add A Beauty to the environment

*Plants have great aesthetic which means they have great beauty.

*Plants help add to the beauty of the natural environment around us.

*Nobody would want to live without the plants around us in the forests and grasslands.

*The plant’s beauty helps us have fun such as in pumpkin growing contest or building tree houses.

*Native grasses and wildflowers provide a link to our history.

*When we build houses the work is never done with having planting some trees shrubs and flowers to make what we have built much nicer.

Plants Make Food for People

• Over 3,000 types of plants have been used as food for humans

• 90 percent of the world’s food comes from only 20 plant species.

• Grasses, rice, wheat and corn are among the most important plants used for food.

• All vegetables grown in the ground and fruits grown in trees, such as apples are food we get from plants.

• Plants are also used in drinks we drink such as orange juice and lemonade.

• If plants were to disappear a great deal of our food supply would also disappear.

Plants Are Used in Industrial Products

• Plants are major provider in industrial products.

• Plants produce fiber which is used in clothing.

• Plants produce wood is used for making houses and furniture.

• Some plants such as corn produce ethanol which can make diesel.

• Plants also help make medicine, such as garlic which is an antibiotic.

• 25% of all prescriptions have plant chemicals.

• 80 of medicinal drugs originate from wild plants.

Plants Help Preserve and Make Soil

• In prairies and forests, trees help hold the soil together.

• Plants also help protect the soil from erosions caused by heavy rains. Without the plant’s protection the wind or water erodes the soil we need.

• Plants also help make the soil.

• When plants die their remains are added to the soil which makes the soil rich with nutrients.

Plants Help the Water Quality

• Plants are very important to the quality of water we use.

• Many plants help maintaining healthy watersheds, streams and lakes.

• Plants help water quality by holding the soil in place.

• Plants help by controlling the stream flows.

• Plants also help by filtering sediments from water.

• If plants were to disappear our water quality would go down dramatically.

Plants help the Air quality• The oxygen we breathe comes from plants, which is made by photosynthesis.

• Photosynthesis is process in which plants synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source

• The quality of the air in affected greatly by plants.

• Plants stop the movement of dust and pollutants.

• By intaking carbon dioxide, plants can lessen the greenhouse effect caused by the burning of fossil fuels and coal.

Plants Provide Habitats for Animals

• Plants are the main habitat for thousands of different organisms.

• Many different animals live in, on or under plants.

• Plants provide shelter and safety for the animals.

• Plants provide food for animals.

• Because plants are a habitat for the animals, they alter the climate.

• Plants provide shade, help moderate the temperature and protect the animals.

• In rainforests, plants change the rainfall patterns over large areas of the earth’s surface.

Plants Are a Part Of Human Activities

• Plants form the basis for many important human activities.

• Plants are a part of nature observation, such as in environmental competitions.

• Plants are a part camping, hiking and hunting because they area a part of the forest environment.

• Plants area a part of parks, to add to the kids play area.

• Plants are a part of zoos to add to the animal’s habitat.

• Plants are always planted in the parking lots of many stores like Target and Wal-Mart.

• Plants are added to many State, National and Recreational Parks to bring beauty.

Plants Affect the Climate

*Regional Climates are impacted by the amount and type of plant cover.

• Forests and marshes for example, can cool local climates.

• Plants provide a more shady environment, such as Pine trees can blocking some of the sun’s rays making a cooler environment.

• Plants can reduce global warming by making cooler environments.

Plants affect the Ecosystem

* Plants affect the ecosystem for many different organisms.

• Plants are a major food source for many animals and people.

• Plants provide shelter for animals and humans use the wood from trees to build homes and shelters.

• Plants help our water supply by holding the soil in place, filtering sediments and controlling stream flows.

• Plant also provide animals and human with many resources which help our ecosystem.

• Because of these things plants have a strong impact on the ecosystem and both humans and animals couldn’t live without them.