Flora, or flora of the earth. Without plants, life on Earth would be impossible Plants and life on earth

The plant world, or flora of the Earth, is the totality of all types of nuclear, multicellular, photosynthetic plants found in. Most organisms are those that synthesize their food using solar energy, but there are also heterotrophic plants and very few species that are both autotrophs and heterotrophs. The history of life on Earth and the existence of many organisms literally depend on the life of plants. Since animals cannot obtain energy directly from the Sun, they must eat plants (or other animals that have a herbivorous diet) to survive. Plants also provide oxygen to people and animals because they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere.

Diversity of flora

Plants are common on land, in the oceans and in fresh water. They have existed on our planet for millions of years. Number of species currently existing green plants presented in the following table:

The table shows the total quantity various types green plants ( Viridiplantae). It is estimated that there are about 300,000 living species Viridiplantae, of which 85-90% are flowering plants. (Note from the author: Because the data is taken from different sources and has different dates, in some cases the estimates are subject to some uncertainty)

Differences between plants and animals

Australia

Eucalyptus regal

The flora of Australia is characterized by the presence of a large number of endemic species - plants that are not found anywhere else. Nevertheless, with the advent of settlers, many other “non-native” species took root on the mainland. Australian vegetation is characterized by the predominance of two types of plants - eucalyptus and acacia.

Asia

Asia has the greatest diversity flora of all parts of the world, since it occupies the most large area, is located in different climatic zones and natural areas. Here you can find more than 100 thousand species of plants, from tropical to arctic, which makes up about 40% of the Earth's flora. On the mainland there is also a large number of endemic plants.

Antarctica

Colobanthus Quito

Antarctica is the most inhospitable place on Earth for both plants and plants. There are no trees here, but only two types of flowering plants and many mosses, lichens, algae, etc. The continent is very fragile and is suffering due to climate change and human activities.

Africa

Euphorbia thorn

Africa is the world's second largest continent and home to many unique plants. The flora of the mainland is divided into three main ones -, and. At the same time, they do not have a wide species diversity, because this biome is characterized by complex climatic conditions, including high temperatures and drought. The Sahara Desert, located in northern Africa, is one of the driest places on Earth. However, African wet evergreens contain a wide variety of plants.

Europe

Despite the fact that Europe is located on the same continent as Asia, called Eurasia, it does not have such a rich species diversity of flora as its eastern neighbor. The flora of Europe is largely influenced by the Alps mountain range, which stretches from west to east.

North America

In the territory North America The main biomes of the planet are located, from deserts to arctic tundras. Each biome is characterized by a collection of certain plant species that have adapted to grow in certain environmental conditions.

South America

South America, like Asia, is home to a huge variety of plant species. There is a huge ecosystem here that supports the life of many plants.

The meaning of the plant world

The importance of plants in human life

Plants serve as the foundation of all life on Earth and are important and necessary for human well-being. Think about how your everyday life depends on the plants.

• Air: Oxygen comes to us from plants as a byproduct of photosynthesis.
• Food: Everything we eat comes directly or indirectly from plants. Throughout human history approximately 7,000 different plant species have been used as food by humans.
• Water: plants regulate - they help distribute and cleanse. They also help move water through a process called transpiration.
• Medicines: one quarter of all prescription drugs come directly from or are derived from plants. In addition, four out of five people worldwide today rely on primary health care settings.
• Vitamins: Plants are the largest source of vitamins necessary for the human body.
• Cloth: plants are a major source of raw materials for textile materials.
• Culture: images of some plants are used on national emblems, including trees and flowers.
• Furniture and housing: The wood of the plants is used in the construction of houses and also for making furniture.
• Aesthetic pleasure: The presence of plants in people's lives allows them to enjoy their appearance and relieves stress. That's why many people grow ornamental plants in houses and garden plots.

The meaning of plants in nature

Amazon rainforests

The environment and climate are largely interconnected with flora. Precipitation, humidity and temperature depend on the presence and nature of vegetation. The reduction of plants also disturbs the balance in and indirectly affects human life.

• Food chains: In each the food chain plants are located at their base and lead the chain as a source of food. For example: Grass → Cow → Lion; Grass → Insect → Frog → Snake → Eagle. Here the plant begins the chain, and other animals depend on it directly or indirectly. Without plants there can be no life on Earth.
• Habitat: Of course, in addition to the vast number of people, plants form the basis of all habitats.
• Climate: Plants accumulate carbon, which is released into the atmosphere when burned.
• Soil erosion: plants growing in the soil in sufficient quantities prevent wind erosion (when, in times of wind, fertile upper layer soil is carried away by air).
• Ecological balance: plants help reduce heat and prevent moisture evaporation. Thus, they are environmentally beneficial.
• Precipitation Support: Plants and trees have a cooling effect on the atmosphere, leading to precipitation. Therefore, rain in deserts is an extremely rare occurrence.
• Soil fertility: plants maintain soil fertility. Fallen leaves, fruits, etc. rot in the soil and humus is formed, which in turn increases soil fertility, as it is favorable for microorganisms.
• Habitat: plants - best places habitat for birds and animals, including monkeys, squirrels, etc. Birds build their nests in trees for egg laying, sleeping, hunting and safety. In forests, animals can take shelter under trees in extreme heat and rain. They also provide food for many (earthworms), insects, rodents, etc.

Threats to the flora

Deforestation

There are a huge number of species of flora on our planet, both recorded and unstudied or even unnamed. However, while the threat to the existence of many wild animals is now widely recognized, few people know that plants are also in great danger. In February 2015 the Center biological diversity stated: "Out of more than 300,000 known species Plants The IUCN has assessed only 12,914 species, finding that about 68% of the plant species assessed are at risk of extinction."

Vast areas of deserts around the world indicate the destruction of vegetation by humans. Much of the Middle East is now desert or is being redeveloped at great expense. Once upon a time there were many forests in the Mediterranean, now these lands are bare and eroded. In many parts of Africa and India, cattle and goats wander the rocky plains, eating any patch of greenery that appears in the barren lands that were once good pasture. Overgrazing by domestic and wild animals is, in fact, the biggest threat to plants, although botanists and other enthusiasts have raided some beautiful plants sometimes entail serious losses for rare species.

Perhaps people forget that we are all cultivated plants and garden flowers come from wild flora. Equally important is the fact that plants provide high share medicines V modern world. Who knows what secret treasures for humanity are still locked away among the vegetation, waiting to be discovered. Tropical rainforests are among the most vulnerable habitats on the planet, containing 63% of the world's most threatened plant species.

One of the most serious threats to flora is the conversion of natural habitats into areas for agricultural use and livestock farming, for example when rainforests destroyed for grazing or growing soybeans, animal feed, or oil palms. Ancient woodlands are special because they have been standing for at least 400 years and provide the basis for biodiversity as well as supporting abundant wildlife.

Plant protection

Protection of flora - a set of measures aimed at protecting existing plants and especially endangered species. The main document that lists plants that are subject to protection is the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red Book.

The IUCN Red List has clear criteria for assessing the extinction risks of thousands of species and subspecies. These criteria are relevant for all species and regions of the world. The goal is to convey the importance of conservation issues to the public and national governments, and to help the international community try to reduce species extinction. According to the IUCN, the stated objectives of the Red List are to:

• provide scientifically sound information on the status of species and subspecies at the global level;
• draw attention to the scale and importance of endangered flora;
• influence national and international policy and decision-making;
• provide information for possible actions on plant conservation.

One of the most important security actions is the creation national parks, nature reserves, nature reserves, botanical gardens, etc. These environmental sites make it possible to preserve natural environment plant habitats and protect them from overexploitation by humans.

The importance of plants in nature and human life. As we know, all people and animals breathe oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Quantity carbon dioxide in the air also increases from fuel combustion. Plants, in turn, absorb carbon dioxide from the air in the light and release oxygen.

In addition, plants enrich the air with oxygen, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide. Due to the fact that oxygen is an essential component for the life of humans and animals, life on Earth would be impossible without green plants.

To enrich cities and villages with oxygen - avenues, boulevards, streets, etc. landscaping. People plant trees and shrubs, develop parks, boulevards, flower beds, and lawns. In general, in any city on the planet they try to plant as many plants as possible, which are so necessary to preserve the health of the population. Given that plants absorb carbon dioxide, they also release oxygen and some gaseous substances into the air, which trap dust and destroy microbes harmful to health.

Therefore, we must take care of protecting our plants, every leaf and increase green spaces, or rather, do not forget to plant new plants, care for them, and protect them from damage.

The importance of plants in the formation of organic substances in them also plays an important role. Green plants create organic substances, and people and animals receive them ready-made from green plants for their nutrition. People grow cultivated plants in order to later harvest fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. and eat them and store them for the winter. And for farm animals, grains and silage are collected, which are also necessary for the life of animals because they contain nutritious organic substances. Animals could not exist without green plants, since they feed on ready-made organic substances that are formed in them.

In large meadows you can also find a lot of useful organic matter, which is used as feed for livestock. To do this, cattle are driven out to pastures or grass is cut and hay is collected. But mowing must be done at the very beginning of the grass flowering, because at this time the plants contain the most succulent nutrients. If mowing is done during flowering or fruiting, the grass becomes coarser, and its nutritional quality is significantly reduced.

As a result, we can say that the importance of plants in nature and human life plays a very important role. Because green plants provide people with food, raw materials for industry, and also feed for farm animals.

Let's discuss it together

Question: “Without plants, life on Earth would be impossible. Man cannot live without plants." What evidence can be provided to confirm or refute these assumptions? Let's compare your answers with the text.

Answer: plants inhabited our planet long before people appeared on it. Since then they have lived on the most different areas sushi, sometimes poorly adapted for life. They grow in the tundra, forests, steppes, and deserts. They inhabit lakes, rivers, seas and oceans. Plants can be found even on bare rocks and shifting sands.

Plants are essential for human life, as they produce oxygen necessary for breathing; domestic and wild animals feed on plants.

Herbs, trees, and shrubs cover the ground with a dense living carpet, protecting it from drying out. In tree thickets a softer, humid microclimate is created, since the foliage prevents the hot rays of the sun from drying out the earth. Their roots hold and hold the soil together.

An extremely important function of green plants is the implementation of a biological process called photosynthesis. This process is extremely important for the existence of all life on this planet. Thanks to photosynthesis, plants have the ability to create organic substances from carbon dioxide and water, which are necessary for plant foods - vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, etc. Plants are also used as raw materials for industry, construction, and medicine.

Also directly dependent on the life of plants is the formation gas composition atmosphere. Thanks to photosynthesis, plants release into the atmosphere a huge amount of oxygen necessary for all living things. They increase soil fertility thanks to humus. With their roots they suck out part of minerals from the soil, after which they are given to animals as feed. Plants play a huge role in the life of nature, influencing climate formation, water sources, animal life, as well as other components of the biosphere.

Question: Explain why the forest is called “the lungs of the Earth.” Where is it easier to breathe: near a highway or in a meadow? Why?

Forests are called “the lungs of the Earth” because forests, being air purifiers from the main pollutant - carbon dioxide, absorb it from the atmosphere and produce oxygen necessary for the life of all life on Earth.

It’s easier to breathe in the meadow than near highways, because... cars passing over them emit a lot of harmful substances creating the so-called “air pollution”. Plants growing along highways absorb small amounts harmful emissions, and accumulate them in their composition (leaves and fruits), so you cannot collect mushrooms and berries that can grow along roads.

In meadows far from highways, there is no air pollution from automobile exhaust gases, plants produce oxygen, the air is clean and easy to breathe.

Question: Tell us which plants “feed” a person, which ones “treat” them, which ones “dress”.

Answer: Plants that “feed” a person, those that can be eaten, there are a great many of them. To give an example, here are just a few: vegetable plants: tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, beets;

fruit trees: apple, pear, plum, orange and tangerine trees;

cereal plants from which we obtain cereals: semolina, buckwheat, rice, wheat flour;

There are also a lot of medicinal plants; dry tea mixtures, tinctures, ointments, and concentrates for making tablets are made from them. Let's give examples medicinal herbs and tree fruits: plantain, pink radiola, ginseng root, chamomile, sea buckthorn, calendula, raspberry, aloe;

Plants that “dress” a person include those from which fiber is made to make fabric. The main plants are flax and cotton. But fabrics can be obtained from bamboo, nettle (the fabric is called “ramie”), and jute.

Homework:

Question: Look at the pictures. On what basis can plants be divided into groups? Describe one of these groups.

Answer: *Plants will be correlated according to the following criteria: cultivated and wild

Cultivated plants: garlic, cauliflower, buckwheat, cotton, flax, sea buckthorn.

Wild plants: rose hips, chamomile, birch, oak, cedar pine.

Plants play a huge role in the existence of our planet, as well as the direct existence of life on Earth. However, why is life on Earth impossible without plants? After all, it would seem that the absence of trees in dense urban areas and modern megacities only affects the fact that the areas become not entirely cozy, and also do not have places for recreation. IN this issue We'll figure it out today.

The importance of green plants in nature is extremely great. During photosynthesis in chlorophyll grains under the influence sun rays Organic substances are created from carbon dioxide and water (by plants). These organic substances are used to nourish all plant organs, as well as to form plant cells. Animals and humans consume ready-made organic substances that are formed only in green plants.

Without green plants, the Earth would not have the food necessary for the life of all living things.

But the importance of green plants does not end there. They enrich the atmosphere with oxygen, necessary for the breathing of all living organisms, and purify polluted air by absorbing carbon dioxide from it.

Many years ago, an article appeared in the foreign press, the author of which prophesied the death of humanity and all living things on Earth from carbon dioxide. The article stated that the amount of carbon dioxide in the air will increase from year to year, as it is released into the atmosphere by numerous factories and factories, an increasing human population, animal world and the plants themselves.

But scientists studying plant life have proven that as long as there are a sufficient number of green plants on Earth, oxygen supplies will not run out. Asphyxiation from carbon dioxide will never occur. By consuming carbon dioxide, which is necessary for the formation of organic matter, plants thereby purify the air. They replenish it with oxygen, after which the air becomes suitable for life.

8 reasons why life on Earth is impossible without plants

Oxygen production

Since school, most of us remember that plants serve people and everything to the globe by producing oxygen. However, most people are quite skeptical about this fact, without thinking that such “help” from plants can be significant. However, if you look at the actual data, you can find out that only one the only tree is capable of releasing such an amount of oxygen within a day that will be enough for three people to live for the same day. Now imagine how much oxygen a whole forest or even a small forest belt produces in a day/month/year.

Photosynthesis- a unique process of creating organic substances from inorganic ones. This is the only process on our planet associated with the transformation of energy sunlight into energy chemical bonds contained in organic matter. In this way, the energy of the sun's rays received from space, stored by green plants in carbohydrates, fats and proteins, ensures the vital activity of the entire living world - from bacteria to humans. Outstanding Russian scientist of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Kliment Arkadyevich Timiryazev (1843-1920) called the role of green plants on Earth cosmic. He wrote:

All organic substances, no matter how diverse they may be, no matter where they are found, whether in a plant, an animal or a person, passed through the leaf, originating from substances produced by the leaf. Outside the leaf, or rather outside the chlorophyll grain, there is no laboratory in nature where organic matter is isolated. In all other organs and organisms it is transformed, transformed, only here it is formed again from inorganic matter.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption

Another important function for which plants are responsible on our planet is the absorption of carbon dioxide. Of all the objects present on Earth, it is plants that are capable of performing such “work” and cleaning our atmosphere from unusable CO2 gases, because if its level in the atmosphere exceeded acceptable standards, this would all lead to an unfavorable outcome for all living things.

Soil formation

Organic matter produced by green plants is consumed by living creatures on land. Waste from the vital processes of organisms, products of decay and decomposition of dead bodies (plants, animals, fungi, bacteria) and their individual parts (fallen leaves, dead roots, root hairs, abundant root secretions), falling into the upper layer of the earth's surface, decompose there and take up participation in the creation of a unique nature education– soil.

Soil is formed and develops on the surface of the Earth as a result of the interaction of living and inanimate nature. Without organic compounds, soil does not form. The fertility of the soil depends on the amount of organic matter - humus.

Animal world

It is necessary to pay attention to the animal world, because it also could not exist without plants on Earth. The fact is that many animals, including wild ones, eat plants, being herbivores. That is, if there was no food for them on the planet, they would simply die out. However, plants also affect predatory animals, because they, in turn, feed on other representatives of the animal kingdom, which, as we have already said, would not exist without plants. Accordingly, extinction would also await predators.

Accumulation of organic matter

All living organisms can live only by consuming in the form of food the energy that green plants received from the Sun with the help of chlorophyll and contained in carbohydrates and other organic compounds. Carbohydrates are an important product of photosynthesis.

Many plants such as sugar cane, sugar beet, onions, peas, corn, grapes, dates, store sugar in stems, roots, bulbs, fruits and seeds. It is sugars that serve as the main source of energy for all living beings, as they can easily become one of the most active compounds in any living cell.

However, not all plants are green. Fungi, bacteria and some higher plants They are deprived of chlorophyll and therefore are unable to produce organic food for themselves from inorganic substances. Such non-green plants (saprophytes), often invisible to the naked eye, settle in abundance on dead organic matter remaining after the death of plants and animals, use it for their nutrition, destroy, mineralize and thus bring it into a state available for use by green plants. This is the positive role of non-green – chlorophyll-free plants.

Energy storage

Constantly absorbing energy in the form solar radiation, plants accumulate it. The accumulation of energy is a very important phenomenon for living nature, caused by the photosynthesis of green plants. Organic matter is an excellent energy carrier. Man widely uses gas, oil, coal, firewood - all these are organic substances that, when burned, release energy that was once stored in green plants.

Impact on climate

Vegetation cover has a huge impact on the formation and change of climate; the role of plants in the soil-forming process and in increasing soil fertility is exceptional. The forest softens sharp temperature fluctuations, improves the water-air regime of soils, and blocks the wind. Forest plantings bind the soil on slopes and prevent the movement of loose sand, preventing the development of erosion processes.

Cleaning function

The sanitary, hygienic and aesthetic role of plants is no less important. They kill pathogens, purify water and air (more than 70% of airborne dust and up to 60% of sulfur dioxide settle on them), and serve as a barrier to the spread of sound waves. Any vegetation decorates the landscape and improves the atmosphere.

The importance of plants in human life. Cultivated plants

Plants are the primary source of existence, prosperity and development of life on Earth, primarily due to their ability to carry out photosynthesis.

Formation of gas composition atmospheric air, as is known, is also directly dependent on plants. One hectare of corn releases 15 tons of oxygen per year, which is enough for 30 people to breathe. All the oxygen in the atmosphere passes through the green matter in about 2000 years. Over 300 years, plants absorb as much carbon as is contained in the atmosphere and waters. Annual chemical energy photosynthetic products was 1000 times higher than energy production at the end of the 20th century. all the power plants in the world. It has been established that the plants of the Earth annually form more than 177 billion tons of organic matter through the process of photosynthesis.

Vegetation has a great influence on climate, water bodies, wildlife and other elements of the biosphere, with which it is closely interconnected. The nature of the biocenosis, ecosystem, their morphological and functional structure, and the biogeocenotic activity of the components largely depend on the nature of the vegetation. The importance of plants in human life is great. First of all, vegetation represents a necessary environment for human life. Wild flora is an invaluable genetic fund in breeding work when creating new varieties of agricultural crops. According to N.M. Chernova et al. (1995) most of the plants that provide about 90% of the world's food today appeared through cultivation wild plants

Employees of the All-Russian Institute of Plant Growing (VIR) have established the presence in Russia of about 600 wild species, which are relatives of cultivated plants. Many of them served as the basis for the development of more than 1,500 new varieties.

The negative value of vegetation in comparison with the benefits it brings is insignificant. Thus, some species of wild plants grow as weeds on cultivated lands and pastures. IN in certain places we have to fight the overgrowth of reservoirs and canals. Sometimes the massive development of aquatic vegetation causes summer fish kills in lakes. Some other cases are also known harmful effects plants per person (poisoning, fungal diseases) and farming (fouling of the bottoms of ships, overgrowing of roads, etc.).

Cultivated plants are plants grown by humans to produce food products, feed in agriculture, medicines, industrial and other raw materials and other purposes.

According to the eighth edition of the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, three categories of cultivated plants are currently recognized: variety, grex (Orchidaceae only) and group.

Cultivated plants obtained from wild ones by hybridization, selection or genetic engineering. In the process of searching for wild plants to transform them into cultivated plants and use them, the doctrine of the centers of origin of cultivated plants arose. In 1926 - 1939, N.I. Vavilov summarized the accumulated knowledge and identified seven main centers of origin of cultivated plants. Unlike decorative species, cultivated plants do not have natural habitats.

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Plants play a huge role in the existence of our planet, as well as the direct existence of life on Earth. However, why is life on Earth impossible without plants? After all, it would seem that the absence of trees in dense urban areas and modern megacities only affects the fact that the areas become not entirely cozy, and also do not have places for recreation. We will look into this issue today.

4 reasons why life on Earth is impossible without plants

1. Oxygen production

Since school, most of us remember that plants serve people and the entire globe by producing oxygen. However, most people are quite skeptical about this fact, without thinking that such “help” from plants can be significant. However, if you look at the actual data, you can find out that just one single tree is capable of releasing such an amount of oxygen during the day, which will be enough for three people to live during the same day. Now imagine how much oxygen a whole forest or even a small forest belt produces in a day/month/year.

1. Carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption

Another important function for which plants are responsible on our planet is the absorption of carbon dioxide. Of all the objects present on Earth, it is plants that are able to perform such “work” and cleanse our atmosphere of unusable CO2 gases, because if its level in the atmosphere exceeded permissible standards, this would all lead to an unfavorable outcome for all living things.

1. Soil formation

We should not forget that plants are directly involved in the process of soil formation. And this is one of the most important processes, occurring on our planet, because without it we would not have such fertile lands, and would not be able to grow all the products we need, vegetables and fruits, plants used in medicine and pharmacology.

1. Animal world

Finally, we need to pay attention to the animal world, because it also could not exist without plants on Earth. The fact is that many animals, including wild ones, eat plants, being herbivores. That is, if there was no food for them on the planet, they would simply die out. However, plants also affect predatory animals, because they, in turn, feed on other representatives of the animal kingdom, which, as we have already said, would not exist without plants. Accordingly, extinction would also await predators.

This is why life on Earth is impossible without plants.