BIOL 1002 Chapter : Chapter 21
Document Summary
Plants capture energy that other organisms use: through photosynthesis, plants provide food, directly or indirectly, for all non-photosynthetic organisms. Plants help maintain the atmosphere: plants produce oxygen gas as a by-product of photosynthesis. Plants build soil: dead plant material is decomposed into organic matter, helping make soil more fertile, the roots of living plants help hold the soil together, preventing erosion by wind and water. Plants help keep ecosystems moist: plants take up and store water from the soil, slowing the rate at which water escapes land-based ecosystems, also slows the rate of flooding. Plants provide shelter, fuel, and medicine: wood comes from plants. Fuel and shelter: coal is another important fossil fuel and is derived from the remains of ancient plants. Many medicines and foods come from plants: aspirin, the malaria drug quinine, and pain-killers such as morphine and codeine, also the basis for coffee, tea, and wine.
