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I think one of the biggest cause of the planets problems and decrease in sustainability is the human race. Humans create a lot of imbalance with everyday things, for example when humans drive cars it pumps a lot of toxic materials into the air and can cause things like pollution. This is just  one example but there are so many factors into how humans contribute to the planets health.
The planet is actually capable of repairing itself and healing on its own, but with humans constantly tearing it down it is hard for the planet to keep up. If we let the planet Breathe in a way it will be good for not only the planers health but humans health as well. Although the planet can repair itself , I fell that as humans and as part of the problem we need to take accountability and help with the planets sustainability and health.

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While humans may be on the verge of extinction, the natural world will endure as it has done through five previous major extinction events. If we give it a little space, it can also rescue us from ecological collapse.

David Attenborough emphasizes this positive view in his retrospective on his own life seen through the prism of dwindling biodiversity, rising carbon pollution, the loss of wilderness, and the population explosion.

There are many signs of resilience of the natural world following extreme challenges caused by our species. Anywhere humans back away, nature restores itself in seemingly miraculous ways.
Chernobyl
One of the most remarkable cases of "rewilding" is the city of Chernobyl, in the Ukraine, abandoned after the nuclear plant there went into melt-down causing high ambient radiation levels and necessitating evacuation of resident, in 1986.

This disaster made the place uninhabitable to humans but wildlife is unaware of the dangers of radiation. In fact, some animals, like foxes, evolved a capacity to flourish despite high radiation levels.

Improbably, the area around the nuclear power plant has turned into a wildlife refuge with sightings of rare species like the Mongolian wild horse.

This unlikely scenario plays out elsewhere wherever humans pull back from natural environments.
Palau Fisheries
The world's oceans comprise a vast, and little-known ecosystem, that is remote from our lives but far from immune to our activities. This point is illustrated by rising ocean temperature, shrinking glaciers, and bleaching of coral reefs.

Over fishing that has also depleted stocks of commercial fish. One answer to this problem is the creation of no-fishing zones where fish can breed undisturbed and replenish depleted stocks.

When the government of Palau implemented this measure, they found that the fish stocks available in other regions increased while coral reefs recovered. This strategy could be implemented on a large scale and the UN is attempting to turn the open oceans into a no-fishing zone. This could restore commercial fish stocks to former levels.

The ocean is the biggest ecosystem and is currently threatened by rapid warming of the atmosphere associated with the greenhouse effect. The best strategy for remedying carbon pollution might be to protect rainforests and to increase their area.
Return of Costa Rica's Rainforest
Rainforests around the globe have been under attack by development and have shrunk at an alarming level. These complex ecosystems are home to a large fraction of the world's plants and animals and much of this diversity has not yet been cataloged by scientists.

The rainforest is vulnerable to commercial threats, including those from expanded farmland and mining operations in Brazil and elsewhere. The soil is thin and easily depleted by agriculture.

One country that has recognized, and protected, the value of rainforests is Costa Rica, whose pristine rainforests are a magnet for ecotourists. After the rainforests had declined to half of their original area the government introduced measures to protect them and saw the area of forests increase to three-quarters of their original value-a welcome reversal in the direction of change.
What It All Means
The bottom line is that there are far too many people on the planet. This reduces biodiversity to a startling degree. At present, humans and their domestic animals make up 96 percent of the biomass of large land animals, with wild species making up just 4 percent.

The decline of wild animals reflects not just a decline in numbers but a loss of entire species. This phenomenon began forty thousand years ago when humans hunted many of their prey animals to extinction using a sophisticated technology for killing at a distance.

This process continued following the Agricultural Revolution with increasing appropriation of wildlands for agricultural purposes. Agriculture is responsible for much of the carbon pollution on earth because it has been going on for so much longer than the industrial economy. Nevertheless, the increase of carbon emission following the Industrial Revolution has been so great that it accelerated climate change with many disturbing effects, such as the death of coral reefs, and increased frequency of hurricanes, floods, and large wildfires.

While human fertility declines with economic development and will ultimately shrink substantially, it is expected to continue rising for at least half a century.

In addition to reducing carbon emissions, the current global climate crisis requires the setting aside of lands that are free of human intrusion. When this is done, the consequences are reassuring. Nature is capable of healing itself. It can be encouraged to do so while humans are still present on the planet, or we can wait and let it do so after our species goes extinct which-at the current pace of change-might not take very long.

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While humans may be on the verge of extinction, the natural world will endure as it has done through five previous major extinction events. If we give it a little space, it can also rescue us from ecological collapse.

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Plants are one of the most important things in a human diet, they provide all the nutrients we need to live, and a lot of plants are found in our medicines. It is important to know how much plants have to do with our daily lives from the oxygen the trees give us to the plant-based supplements and medicines. according to this article, it states, "Research with plants was central to elucidating the role of vitamins in human health and disease" meaning plants are everywhere in our daily lives and a central part of how we live. Without plants, we would not have the foods, medicines
, or even the society we have today.

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Throughout human history, plants have been the object of pervasive and at times dominant artistic and intellectual interest. Plants were important subjects from the earliest study of life processes, and they were central to scientific study in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Good reasons remain to study the basic life processes of plants. Research on plants enriches our intellectual life and adds to our knowledge about other life processes. The results of research on plant systems also can teach us how to approach problems in agriculture, health, and the environment.

Plants, Human Health, and Civilization

Our understanding of plant life underpins a vast range of activities and touches virtually every aspect of human life. From their origins, human civilizations have depended for their development and prosperity on their ability to manage plants and have sometimes fallen because of their failure to do so. Throughout history, plants have been collected, traded, selectively adapted for new environments, and bred for new combinations of traits. Plants have been manipulated for use as food and fiber, and for many other, particularly aesthetic, purposes.

Modern civilization rests on the successful and sustained cultivation of plants and on the wise use of the biologic and physical resource base on which their cultivation depends. Our knowledge about the world around us is incomplete if we do not include plants in our discoveries, and it is distorted if we do not place sufficient emphasis on plant life. There are many compelling practical reasons also for society to invest in research about plants and to educate its citizens for careers in which knowledge about plants is important. From fundamental discoveries about plant life arise technologies and capabilities in a wide range of practical applications ( Figure 2).

Plants and the Environment

Only higher plants and a few microorganisms can convert light energy from the sun into chemical energy. Photosynthetic organisms are at the center of the earth's hospitality to other life. Plants and photosynthetic bacteria gave rise to the earth's atmosphere. They are important in regulating climate and the chemical and biologic conditions of the soil and water. Photosynthetic plants are the source of the fossil fuels we are depleting today, and they provide the most readily harvested source of renewable energy for tomorrow. The primary atmospheric gas incorporated by plants in photosynthesis, carbon dioxide, is one of the major ''greenhouse'' gases. Plants regulate the carbon cycle of the biosphere. Plants, in part through their unique symbiotic relationships with microorganisms, also play a major role in regulating the partitioning of nitrogen between atmospheric and life processes. We will never fully understand the global environment-or have a serious hope of successfully managing it in the face of explosive population growth-until we have a much more comprehensive understanding of plants, their cellular processes, and their ecology and population biology.

Plants are important in maintaining a healthy environment, for example, by controlling erosion and water pollution, and by helping to reduce air pollution. They improve the environment for human activities everywhere-from indoor spaces to vast wilderness areas.

The role of terrestrial plants and marine phytoplankton in maintaining an environment suitable for human habitation is inadequately appreciated, but there is a growing recognition of the urgent need to illuminate the role of plants. The accumulated effects of more than a century of industrial activity, explosive population growth, severe shifts in land use, and other effects of human use of the earth show that human activities can overpower the buffering effects of the natural processes that regulate global climate. The health and wellbeing of the human race could well rest on our achieving a better understanding on which to base a more reasoned exploitation of plant life.

Unique and Scientifically Interesting Properties of Plants

Plants differ from animals in several important ways.

Development. The growth of a plant from an undifferentiated cell into a complete and mature organism requires only a few hormones. Moreover, plant cells are totipotent: It is possible to regenerate a whole plant from a single leaf or root cell. In contrast, specific cells (the germ line) of an animal in early development form the germ cells. Plants have no germ line in this sense and produce sexual organs and gametes from somatic tissue late in their development.

Biochemistry. Plants are virtually the sole source of new oxygen and carbohydrates on the planet. Light is harvested by unique organelles, the chloroplasts. Plants synthesize the 20 amino acids required for proteins, including the 10 amino acids that humans are unable to produce. Moreover, in a unique symbiotic relationship with some plants, microorganisms can fix atmospheric nitrogen for plant use in the synthesis of amino acids, proteins, and other compounds.

Physiology. Plants lack the major organ systems present in animals. Yet, their physiology permits them to respond to their environment. Instead of an immune system, they have inducible disease resistance mechanisms that enable them to make natural toxins against fungal and bacterial pathogens. Instead of a nervous system, they have a repertoire of receptors and pigments that allow them to respond to their environment. Instead of a muscular and skeletal system, they have a novel set of fibers for support. They are attached to their substrates, and they can move only by growing or by gaining or losing water.

Plants and Global Warming

Atmospheric modelers are trying to evaluate the effects of changes in carbon dioxide concentration on global weather patterns and temperature. Models that predict carbon dioxide uptake and water loss by leaves grown under different environmental conditions can make an important contribution to elucidating global climate change. Other plant research is needed to develop sensitive ways to determine how much of the light energy absorbed by a leaf is used for photosynthesis (for metabolism and growth) and how much is simply reradiated as heat. The efficiency with which plants use light can vary enormously in response to environmental variables, such as water stress, temperature, disease or insect damage, or fluctuations in the supply of nitrogen or phosphorus. Theoretical models are being rigorously tested, with a fair degree of success. In addition, remote-sensing techniques are being developed to evaluate the photosynthetic performance of whole plant communities in response to stress. Modeling and experimental studies promise the quantitative information required to put predictions of atmospheric change (or lack of it) on a sound basis.

Plants in Agriculture, Medicine, and Industry

Macroscopic and microscopic plants form the first link in the terrestrial and aquatic food chains. Plants are thus at the heart of agriculture. Together with microorganisms and domesticated animals, plants provide the raw materials for our food and drink. Plants also provide many of the materials used in clothing and buildings. The application of basic knowledge about plants has made modern agriculture possible. For example, studies of the nutrient requirements of plants led to soil fertility management.

The Green Revolution was founded on fundamental knowledge gleaned from research in genetics and plant nutrition. Genetic manipulation is a powerful, proven method for improving the productivity, quality, and disease resistance of plants. Basic knowledge of genetic inheritance, defense responses, pathogen genetics, and population genetics will continue to yield improvements in the technology needed to secure a stable food supply.

Plants are critical to human health. They are the sole source of some of the essential amino acids, vitamins, and other nutrients in our diet. Research with plants was central to elucidating the role of vitamins in human health and disease: Plants high in ascorbic acid, such as peppers and citrus, prevent scurvy. Grains in the diet provide B vitamins. Many drugs were first discovered as plant products before methods for their synthesis were developed. Research on plants yielded cardiac glycosides (such as digitalis), a wide range of useful alkaloids (such as scopolamine, atropine, quinine, and ephedrine), dicoumarol, and many other drugs. Research on lower plants and agricultural soils yielded many antibiotics. Even today, more than 20 percent of all prescription drugs are derived from plants.

The chemical industry developed from the work of German scientists who learned to synthesize dyes from coal tar, a derivative of fossil plants, to replace the commonly used dyes derived from wild and cultivated plants. Now, the search has been reversed and plant-derived products are sought to replace harmful coal tar dyes. Modern industry and society continue to depend in many ways on chemical products derived from plants, such as soaps, detergents, rubber, paints, resins, plastics, adsorbents, and adhesives.

Plants and the Origins of Modern Biology

Research with plants has strongly influenced the development of biology and has contributed to many important scientific advances. It was research with plants that led to the discovery of the rules of genetic inheritance (Gregor Mendel's peas), of the role of light in regulating the physiologic responses of higher organisms (phytochromes), of transposition of genetic elements (controlling elements in maize), and of the protein nature of enzymes (urease). Research with a plant virus contributed to the elucidation of the structure of DNA itself (X-ray diffraction with tobacco mosaic virus) and of the role of nucleic acids in the genetic material of all life forms.

These examples illustrate how the study of plants has affected biologic research for several generations. But how well equipped are we to deal with the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead? The techniques of modern biology, and in particular modern genetics, make many difficult problems in plant biology approachable. Before the era of recombinant DNA, the tools available for genetic studies of plants' development, metabolism, and environmental responsiveness were relatively crude. Now modern genetics offers new promise to the plant sciences. In some fields of modern biology, plants offer the preferred model system for fundamental and exploratory science through application of molecular genetic techniques. Scientists now can transfer genes easily among plant species, and because the genomes of some plant species are quite small they can be studied readily. Plants can be used to answer many general questions in biology in such diverse subdisciplines as development, metabolism, gene regulation, symbiosis, and chromosome structure.

It is not within the scope of this report to describe a research agenda for plant sciences. Other National Research Council reports have contained pertinent research agendas, for example, Investing in Research (NRC, 1989a), Opportunities in Biology (NRC, 1989b), and Forestry Research: A Mandate for Change (NRC, 1990).

In recent years, the scientific community has shown significantly increased interest in research with plants. The power of modern methods to answer important questions in plant biology has stimulated the interest of scientists in leading universities and other research institutions in the United States and abroad. Well-funded plant-biology laboratories here and elsewhere are making research contributions at the cutting edge of biology. This heightened interest has generated more worthy research proposals than public agencies can fund. An informal survey of the private sector in agricultural biotechnology indicates that in the late 1980s about $250 million (exclusive of development costs) each year was being spent on basic plant-biology research by companies whose work was primarily or exclusively with plants.

The fertility of modern plant-biology research is demonstrated in special issues of Science (November 16, 1990) and Cell (January 27, 1989). Developmental biology, cell-to-cell recognition, signal transduction, the molecular basis of disease, plant-microbe interactions, gene regulation, transposition, and photosynthesis are some of the areas covered in these issues. Several new plant journals have been launched recently; three leading examples are: The Plant Cell, The Plant Journal, and Plant Molecular Biology.

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Throughout human history, plants have been the object of pervasive and at times dominant artistic and intellectual interest. Plants were important subjects from the earliest study of life processes, and they were central to scientific study in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

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Plant domestication is a major impact on human existence. It is how we have crops and plants made for food and withing domestication we have made ways to make it easier to produce crops. For example, Artificial Selection in crops and am\nimals is a faster way of producing crops, and not only is it faster than natural selection, but it is a system where we can pick and choose what features and parts of the organism we want/ need, which has had a big impact on how humans produce food. for example, Broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are all made from wild mustard plants, and this is just a small example, there is so much that we benefit from artificial selection.

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Artificial selection is the identification by humans of desirable traits in plants and animals, and the steps taken to enhance and perpetuate those traits in future generations. Artificial selection works the same way as natural selection, except that with natural selection it is nature, not human i…

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The Neolithic Revolution was the "birth of agriculture", This was the start of the domestication of plants and animals, and the beginning of diversity. This is when humans when from scattered hunter and gatherers to farmers in a community with a more civilized society, which is why it is very important for today's society; without the Neolithic revolution, the world would be a lot different.
During this time period we developed many tools and ways to live as a society with domesticating animals and plants and going through "inequality" which is basically a status of who you are in the community and made it harder to get goods, this I feel still happens in today's world. Another thing that we actually benefit from in the neolithic period is knowing what foods and goods are healthy and won't cause harm to us.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldcivilization/chapter/the-neolithic-revolution/

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Learning Objective

Explain the significance of the Neolithic Revolution

Key Points

During the Paleolithic Era, humans grouped together in small societies and subsisted by gathering plants, and fishing, hunting or scavenging wild animals.

The Neolithic Revolution references a change from a largely nomadic hunter-gatherer way of life to a more settled, agrarian-based one, with the inception of the domestication of various plant and animal species-depending on species locally available and likely also influenced by local culture.

There are several competing (but not mutually exclusive) theories as to the factors that drove populations to take up agriculture, including the Hilly Flanks hypothesis, the Feasting model, the Demographic theories, the evolutionary/intentionality theory, and the largely discredited Oasis Theory.

The shift to agricultural food production supported a denser population, which in turn supported larger sedentary communities, the accumulation of goods and tools, and specialization in diverse forms of new labor.

The nutritional standards of Neolithic populations were generally inferior to that of hunter-gatherers, and they worked longer hours and had shorter life expectancies.

Life today, including our governments, specialized labor, and trade, is directly related to the advances made in the Neolithic Revolution.

Terms

Hilly Flanks hypothesis

The theory that agriculture began in the hilly flanks of the Taurus and Zagros mountains, where the climate was not drier, and fertile land supported a variety of plants and animals amenable to domestication.

Evolutionary/Intentionality theory

The theory that domestication was part of an evolutionary process between humans and plants.

Neolithic Revolution

The world's first historically verifiable advancement in agriculture. It took place around 12,000 years ago.

Hunter-gatherer

A nomadic lifestyle in which food is obtained from wild plants and animals; in contrast to an agricultural lifestyle, which relies mainly on domesticated species.

Paleolithic Era

A period of history that spans from 2.5 million to 20,000 years ago, during which time humans evolved, used stone tools, and lived as hunter-gatherers.

Oasis Theory

The theory that humans were forced into close association with animals due to changes in climate.

Feasting model

The theory that displays of power through feasting drove agricultural technology.

Specialization

A process where laborers focused on one specialty area rather than creating all needed items.

Demographic theories

Theories about how sedentary populations may have driven agricultural changes.

Before the Rise of Civilization: The Paleolithic Era

The first humans evolved in Africa during the Paleolithic Era, or Stone Age, which spans the period of history from 2.5 million to about 10,000 BCE. During this time, humans lived in small groups as hunter-gatherers, with clear gender divisions for labor. The men hunted animals while the women gathered food, such as fruit, nuts and berries, from the local area. Simple tools made of stone, wood, and bone (such as hand axes, flints and spearheads) were used throughout the period. Fire was controlled, which created heat and light, and allowed for cooking.Humankind gradually evolved from early members of the genus Homo-such as Homo habilis, who used simple stone tools- into fully behaviorally and anatomically modern humans ( Homo sapiens) during the Paleolithic era. During the end of the Paleolithic, specifically the Middle and or Upper Paleolithic, humans began to produce the earliest works of art and engage in religious and spiritual behavior, such as burial and ritual. Paleolithic humans were nomads, who often moved their settlements as food became scarce. This eventually resulted in humans spreading out from Africa (beginning roughly 60,000 years ago) and into Eurasia, Southeast Asia, and Australia. By about 40,000 years ago, they had entered Europe, and by about 15,000 years ago, they had reached North America followed by South America.

During about 10,000 BCE, a major change occurred in the way humans lived; this would have a cascading effect on every part of human society and culture. That change was the Neolithic Revolution.

The Neolithic Revolution: From Hunter-Gatherer to Agriculturalist

The beginning of the Neolithic Revolution in different regions has been dated from perhaps 8,000 BCE in the Kuk Early Agricultural Site of Melanesia Kuk to 2,500 BCE in Subsaharan Africa, with some considering the developments of 9,000-7,000 BCE in the Fertile Crescent to be the most important. This transition everywhere is associated with the change from a largely nomadic hunter-gatherer way of life to a more settled, agrarian-based one, due to the inception of the domestication of various plant and animal species-depending on the species locally available, and probably also influenced by local culture.It is not known why humans decided to begin cultivating plants and domesticating animals. While more labor-intensive, the people must have seen the relationship between cultivation of grains and an increase in population. The domestication of animals provided a new source of protein, through meat and milk, along with hides and wool, which allowed for the production of clothing and other objects.There are several competing (but not mutually exclusive) theories about the factors that drove populations to take up agriculture. The most prominent of these are:

The Oasis Theory, originally proposed by Raphael Pumpelly in 1908, and popularized by V. Gordon Childe in 1928, suggests as the climate got drier due to the Atlantic depressions shifting northward, communities contracted to oases where they were forced into close association with animals. These animals were then domesticated together with planting of seeds. However, this theory has little support amongst archaeologists today because subsequent climate data suggests that the region was getting wetter rather than drier.

The Hilly Flanks hypothesis, proposed by Robert Braidwood in 1948, suggests that agriculture began in the hilly flanks of the Taurus and Zagros mountains, where the climate was not drier, as Childe had believed, and that fertile land supported a variety of plants and animals amenable to domestication.

The Feasting model by Brian Hayden suggests that agriculture was driven by ostentatious displays of power, such as giving feasts, to exert dominance. This system required assembling large quantities of food, a demand which drove agricultural technology.

The Demographic theories proposed by Carl Sauer and adapted by Lewis Binford and Kent Flannery posit that an increasingly sedentary population outgrew the resources in the local environment and required more food than could be gathered. Various social and economic factors helped drive the need for food.

The Evolutionary/Intentionality theory, developed by David Rindos and others, views agriculture as an evolutionary adaptation of plants and humans. Starting with domestication by protection of wild plants, it led to specialization of location and then full-fledged domestication.

Effects of the Neolithic Revolution on Society

The traditional view is that the shift to agricultural food production supported a denser population, which in turn supported larger sedentary communities, the accumulation of goods and tools, and specialization in diverse forms of new labor. Overall a population could increase its size more rapidly when resources were more available. The resulting larger societies led to the development of different means of decision making and governmental organization. Food surpluses made possible the development of a social elite freed from labor, who dominated their communities and monopolized decision-making. There were deep social divisions and inequality between the sexes, with women's status declining as men took on greater roles as leaders and warriors. Social class was determined by occupation, with farmers and craftsmen at the lower end, and priests and warriors at the higher.

Effects of the Neolithic Revolution on Health

Neolithic populations generally had poorer nutrition, shorter life expectancies, and a more labor-intensive lifestyle than hunter-gatherers. Diseases jumped from animals to humans, and agriculturalists suffered from more anemia, vitamin deficiencies, spinal deformations, and dental pathologies.

Overall Impact of the Neolithic Revolution on Modern Life

The way we live today is directly related to the advances made in the Neolithic Revolution. From the governments we live under, to the specialized work laborers do, to the trade of goods and food, humans were irrevocably changed by the switch to sedentary agriculture and domestication of animals. Human population swelled from five million to seven billion today.

Sources

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Explain the significance of the Neolithic Revolution During the Paleolithic Era, humans grouped together in small societies and subsisted by gathering plants, and fishing, hunting or scavenging wild animals.

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Biomes are important for so many reasons,  they are the environment we live in and that makes the earth what it is. it is important to know biomes because of this importance to earth, humans have made a problem for earth, pollution is destroying our environments and the places plants and animals inhabit, we are even harming ourselves for convenience and greed. All the toxic things that come from pollution are just killing the earth and stops it from giving us natural resources that we could take advantage of in a positive way like herbs to make medicine.  instead, we are cutting down and killing these plants and organisms for money and materialized matter, while in turn it is killing the planet and making everything unbalanced.
https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/importan.html

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Because we share the world with many other species of plants and animals, we must consider the consequences of our actions. Over the past several decades, increasing human activity has rapidly destroyed or polluted many ecological habitats throughout the world. It is important to preserve all types of biomes as each houses many unique forms of life. However, the continued heavy exploitation of certain biomes, such as the forest and aquatic, may have more severe implications.

Forests are important as they are home to the most diverse biotic communties in the world. Hidden within these biomes are potential medicines and many thousands of unseen and undiscovered species. Also, forests have a global climate-buffering capacity, so their destruction may cause large-scale changes in global climate.

Logging has depleted many old-growth temperate forests. The increased demand for homes, paper, and other wood products have not allowed for much conservation. More recently, people have begun to realize that logging has cleared much of these forests. Wiser use of the forests and efforts to replant trees have helped to slow down the depletion of these communities.

Tropical forests have fallen victim to timber exploitation, slash and burn farming, and clearfelling for industrial use or cattle ranching, particularly in Latin America. Our increasing demand for meat products has spurred these events. For years, this destruction was occuring at a rapid rate. Over half of the world's original tropical forests are already gone. Public attention to this exploitation have helped to alleviate the problem somewhat, though many challenges are still to be faced.

Aquatic biomes are probably the most important of all the biomes. Their medium, water, is a major natural resource. Water is the basis of life, it supports life, and countless species live in it for all or part of their lives. Freshwater biomes supply us with our drinking water and water for crop irrigation. The world's oceans have an even greater effect on global climate than forests do. Water has a high capacity for heat, and because the Earth is mostly covered with water, the temperature of the atmosphere is kept fairly constant and able to support life. In addition to this climate-buffering capacity, the oceans contain several billion photosynthetic plankton which account for most of the photosynthesis occuring on Earth. Without these, there might not be enough oxygen to support such a large world population and complex animal life.

Freshwater biomes have suffered mainly from pollution. Runoff containing fertilizer and other wastes and industrial dumpings enter into rivers, ponds, and lakes and tend to promote abnormally rapid algae growth. When these algae die, dead organic matter accumulates in the water. This makes the water unusable and it kills many of the organisms living in the habitat. Stricter laws have helped to slow down this thoughtless pollution.

Overfishing and pollution have threatened to make oceans into ecological disaster areas. Industrial pollutants that are dumped upstream of estuaries have rendered many marine habitats unsuitable for life. Again, tighter regulations have been used to prevent further destruction of the ocean biomes.

By educating people about the consequences of our actions, we can all gain a better understanding of how to preserve the earth's natural biomes. The areas that have been destroyed the most will never regain their original forms, but conservation will help to keep them from getting worse.

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Because we share the world with many other species of plants and animals, we must consider the consequences of our actions. Over the past several decades, increasing human activity has rapidly destroyed or polluted many ecological habitats throughout the world. It is important to preserve all types of biomes as each houses many unique forms of life.

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Plants are autotrophs which are organisms that produce and make their own food source/ energy source. These organisms go through the process of photosynthesis to produce their energy, which in literal terms translates to"to put together with light." Photosynthesis requires light, carbon dioxide, and water. The light comes directly from the sun, carbon dioxide comes directly from the air around the plant, and the water comes from the soil the plant is in. photosynthesis breaks down carbon dioxide into carbon and oxygen and adds water, this forms starches and sugars also known as carbohydrates, then we are left with a byproduct of oxygen.
The importance of knowing the process of photosynthesis is tied to the air we breathe, humans need oxygen to live and photosynthesis is the process of that, Photosynthesis also affects the energy we humans get, it is a whole cycle because autotrophs make their own energy we depend on them as heterotrophs so we then have an energy source in other living things. Photosynthesis is the base if everything to have balance and for the energy cycle to run smoothly.
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/flowers-shrubs-trees/plant-growth-development

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Photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration are the three major functions that drive plant growth and development (Figure 24). All three are essential to a plant's survival. How well a plant is able to regulate these functions greatly affects its ability to compete and reproduce.

Photosynthesis

One of the major differences between plants and animals is plants' ability to manufacture their own food. This process is called photosynthesis, which literally means "to put together with light." To produce food, a plant requires energy from the sun, carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil. During photosynthesis, it splits carbon dioxide into carbon and oxygen, adds water and forms carbohydrates (starches and sugars). Oxygen is a byproduct.

The formula for photosynthesis can be written as follows:

After producing carbohydrates, a plant either uses them as energy, stores them or builds them into complex energy compounds such as oils and proteins. All of these food products are called photosynthates. The plant uses them when light is limited, or transports them to its roots or developing fruits.

Photosynthesis occurs only in the mesophyll layers of plant leaves and, in some instances, in mesophyll cells in the stem. Mesophyll cells are sandwiched between the leaf's upper and lower epidermis and contain numerous chloroplasts, where photosynthesis takes place. Chloroplasts are incredibly small. One square millimeter, about the size of a period on a page, would contain 400,000 chloroplasts.

Chlorophyll, the pigment that makes leaves green, is found in the chloroplasts. It is responsible for trapping light energy from the sun. Often chloroplasts are arranged perpendicular to incoming sun rays so they can absorb maximum sunlight. If any of the ingredients for photosynthesis - light, water and carbon dioxide - is lacking, photosynthesis stops. If any factor is absent for a long period of time, a plant will die. Each of these factors is described below.

Light

Photosynthesis depends on the availability of light. Generally, as sunlight intensity increases, so does photosynthesis. However, for each plant species, there is a maximum level of light intensity above which photosynthesis does not increase. Many garden crops, such as tomatoes, respond best to maximum sunlight. Tomato production decreases drastically as light intensity drops. Only a few tomato varieties produce any fruit under minimal sunlight conditions.

Water

Water is one of the raw materials for photosynthesis. It is taken up into the plant by the roots and moved upward through the xylem.

Carbon dioxide

Photosynthesis also requires carbon dioxide (CO ₂), which enters a plant through its stomata (Figure 25). In most plants, photosynthesis fluctuates throughout the day as stomata open and close. Typically, they open in the morning, close down at midday, reopen in late afternoon and shut down for good in the evening.

Carbon dioxide is plentiful in the air, so it is not a limiting factor in plant growth. However, it is consumed rapidly during photosynthesis and is replenished very slowly in the atmosphere. Tightly sealed greenhouses may not allow enough outside air to enter and thus may lack adequate carbon dioxide for plant growth. Carbon dioxide generators are used in commercial greenhouses for crops such as roses, carnations and tomatoes. In smaller home greenhouses, dry ice is an effective source of carbon dioxide.

Temperature

Although not a direct component in photosynthesis, temperature is important. Photosynthesis occurs at its highest rate between 65° and 85°F and decreases at higher or lower temperatures.

Respiration

Carbohydrates made during photosynthesis are of value to a plant when they are converted to energy. This energy is used for cell growth and building new tissues. The chemical process by which sugars and starches are converted to energy is called oxidation and is similar to the burning of wood or coal to produce heat. Controlled oxidation in a living cell is called respiration. It is shown by this equation:
C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6 O₂ => 6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O + Energy
This equation is essentially the opposite of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a building process, while respiration is a breaking-down process.

Unlike photosynthesis, respiration does not depend on light, so it occurs at night as well as during the day. Respiration occurs in all life forms and in all cells.

Transpiration

When a leaf's guard cells shrink, its stomata open and water is lost. This process is called transpiration. In turn, more water is pulled through the plant from the roots. The rate of transpiration is directly related to whether stomata are open or closed. Stomata account for only 1% of a leaf's surface but 90% of the water transpired.

Transpiration is a necessary process and uses about 90% of the water that enters a plant's roots. The other 10% is used in chemical reactions and in plant tissues. Transpiration is responsible for several things:

Transporting minerals from the soil throughout the plant.

Cooling the plant through evaporation.

Moving sugars and plant chemicals.

Maintaining turgor pressure.

The amount and rate of water loss depends on factors such as temperature, humidity, and wind or air movement. Transpiration often is greatest in hot, dry (low relative humidity), windy weather.

A balancing act

In order for a plant to grow and develop properly, it must balance photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration. Left to their own devices, plants do a good job of managing this intricate balance. If a plant photosynthesizes at a high rate, but its respiration rate is not high enough to break down the photosynthates produced, photosynthesis will either slow down or stop.

On the other hand, if respiration is much more rapid than photosynthesis, the plant won't have adequate photosynthates to produce energy for growth. Hence, growth either will slow down or stop altogether.

When stomata are open, transpiration occurs, sometimes at a very high rate. A corn plant may transpire 50 gallons of water per season, but a large tree may move 100 gallons per day!

Plants have problems if they lose too much water, so stomata close during hot, dry periods when transpiration is highest. However, CO ₂, which is needed for photosynthesis, also enters the plant through open stomata. Thus, if stomata stay closed a long time to stop water loss, not enough CO ₂ will enter for photosynthesis. As a result, photosynthesis and respiration will slow down, in turn reducing plant growth.

Many herb plants produce lots of high-energy oils, which help them survive in the dry landscapes where they evolved. These oils help them survive extended periods of stomatal closure.

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Photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration are the three major functions that drive plant growth and development.

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plants are very important because they are at the bottom of the food chain yet they are the reason for all other organisms' energy sources. They make their own food through photosynthesis which only used sunlight and water, which passes energy to other organisms and provides them with including humans with food and energy sources. Even with plants that aren't consumed but still affect our natural food sources, they are important. For example, pollinators are attracted to flowers to pollinate them which leads to a healthier environment and keeps our planet safe for plants, animals, and humans so the food cycle/chain continued to be balanced. https://www.exploringnature.org/db/view/Plant-Structure-The-Parts-of-a-Plant-and-Flower

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Plants are so important because they make their own energy from sunshine through photosynthesis. They are the bottom of the food web supplying food and energy for all other life on earth. They store extra sugars in their stems, roots, seeds or fruit. That energy is passed on to any animal that eats them, including us. We are part of the food web when we eat plant parts like apples, carrots, rice or potatoes.

Learn here the names of plant structures, their job, and what they look like on the plant.

Flower - Flower's petals are often showy because they are designed to attract pollinators like birds and insects who will fertilize them. The flower's job is help to make seeds.

Sepals - The sepals are at the base of the flower and cover and protect the flower before it blooms.
- After a flower has been pollinated the ovules inside it grow into seeds. The ovary grows into a protective, fleshy fruit around them. In nature when an animal eats a wild fruit, it spreads the seeds inside it. Each seed might grow into another plant in the right conditions.

- A plant's leaves collect sunlight for the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process where green plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to make food and oxygen. Little openings in the leaves, called stomata, collect carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen. Tiny veins in the leaves spread water and nutrients throughout the leaf. The process of photosynthesis occurring in green plants around the world is what makes the oxygen we breathe.

Stem - A plant's stems help support the weight of the plant and all its leaves. Water and minerals are brought up from the roots. Nutrients made by photosynthesis in the leaves are sent down and all around the plant.

- A plant's roots anchor it into the ground. They also collect water and minerals from the soil and transport them up into the plant.

Reproductive Organs - The reproductive organs of a flower are the male stamens and the female pistil.

The stamen includes an anther on top where the pollen grains (haploid) are made. A long filament holds the anther up to meet the wind or pollinating insect.

The pistil has 3 parts.
1) The stigma is the sticky tip where pollen grains stick.

2) The ovary is at the base of the pistil and contains the ovules.

3) The style is the thin stalk that connects the stigma down to the ovary. When fertilized, the ovules become the plants seeds.
The ovary becomes the plant's fruit. The fruit protects the seeds and attracts animals that will carry the seeds away to grow (seed dispersal).
Testing:
Assess plant structure content comprehension with the Multiple Choice Test.

Assess plant structure vocabulary with the Labeling Page.

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Plant Structure - The Parts of a Plant and Flower

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Plants are so important because they make their own energy from sunshine through photosynthesis . They are the bottom of the food web supplying food and energy for all other life on earth. They store extra sugars in their stems, roots, seeds or fruit.