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Plants are essential to the balance of life on earth. They provide food for both humans and animals, and many important things are made from plants, such as medicines, rubber and paper. Some plants, such as sugar cane, can even be fermented to produce fuel. Animals depend on plants for both food and shelter, and for protection from predators. Another vital function which plants perform is photosynthesis, which means “putting together with light.” In this process, green plants absorb sunlight and combine it with carbon dioxide and water to produce sugar and oxygen.
The study of plants is called Botany. It’s estimated that there are around 350,000 species of plants on Earth; both on land and in the oceans. Many plants depend on animal life to help in pollination (fertilization of seed plants) and distribution of seeds. Animal waste provides organic fertilizer (contains nutrients to help the plant grow), and some plants, such as the Venus flytrap, even snare insects and small animals, digesting them chemically to obtain nutrients.
Related links:
Botany (Federal Resources for Educational Excellence)
Botany
for Kids from the National Biological Information Infrastructure
Center for Plant Conservation
Flora
of Mexico from Viva Natura
Green
plants from the Tree of Life Web Project
Pineywoods Vascular Plant Gallery
Texas
Plant Information Database from the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department
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