Plants work hard during the day for something that stays still in their position.Living beings cannot survive without oxygen. The oxygen from the air that all animals breathe is a product of photosynthesis, thanks to plants.Have you ever thought about why all plants are not green? The secret to this question can be found if we look at the pigment chlorophyll in plant cells. Chlorophyll gives the plant that green color. The plants which do not have chlorophyll cannot create their food. Likewise, such plants depend on other host plants for their nutrients and energy. For example, mushrooms do not possess any chlorophyll. There is another interesting fact about chlorophyll. The job of chlorophyll is to absorb the incoming light. A plant that is not exposed to enough sunlight will slowly start losing the chlorophyll pigment. The easiest way to notice this is by looking at the color of the leaves, which will gradually turn yellow. As an experiment, you put a stone over grass and check it after some time. The grass growing under the stone will be a pale yellow instead of green. If the lack of sunlight persists, the leaves slowly fall off, and the plant eventually dies. Hence, make sure all your houseplants get the right amount of sunlight to produce their share of carbohydrates and oxygen.You can never know too much. To quench that thirst, you can also check out do blue eyes see better in the dark, and do cactus have seeds to add to your wisdom.Photosynthesis: Meaning With ExamplePhotosynthesis is how light, carbon dioxide, and water are converted into glucose and oxygen.Photosynthesis can be broadly categorized into two categories, anoxygenic and oxygenic photosynthesis. Oxygenic photosynthesis is the most commonplace one found among green plants. During this process, with the combination of sunlight and water, electrons are transported from the cells of the roots to carbon dioxide to create carbohydrates. This takes place in many green plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Anoxygenic photosynthesis is very rare and does not produce any oxygen, having a different source for obtaining electrons. This process of photosynthesis can be found in green sulfur bacteria or phototrophic purple bacteria.Plant cells have chloroplasts, where photosynthesis is carried out with the help of the pigment chlorophyll. This pigment converts light energy into chemical energy. The water absorbed gets split during this process, resulting in oxygen, which is released into the air.Photosynthesis takes place in several stages. After converting energy, the next major step is the Calvin cycle. There are three photosynthetic pathways in this cycle, namely, the C3, C4, and CAM. Though slightly different, they are concerned with producing glucose or energy by using carbon dioxide from the air. Most plants like wheat, rice, cotton all use the C3 pathway, which forms a three-compound carbon. The C4 pathway is better suited for plants, where the air is somewhat hot or dry, to minimize their chances of photorespiration. Finally, some plants need CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) photosynthesis in the arid and extremely hot regions. Cacti or pineapple can be some examples. With this, the plants absorb carbon dioxide during the nighttime to reduce water loss as much as possible. Without oxygen, life cannot be sustained on earth. So, all animals need plants to produce oxygen as much as they need us.Role Of Carbon Dioxide In PlantsPlants photosynthesize by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air along with other elements.People breathing oxygen help plants live since it produces carbon dioxide for their use. Carbon dioxide is essential for the process of photosynthesis. Hence, it can be said that carbon dioxide helps a plant to create its food compound. They absorb carbon dioxide from the air, which is then broken down and converted to glucose or energy. So, trees need both oxygen and carbon dioxide present in the air. During the daytime, they produce food compounds and give out oxygen, while in the nighttime, they perform respiration like all other animals; that is, they too need oxygen for respiration. The food compounds they create will turn into energy to help them stay alive and grow well. When there is an excess of production, we get these nutrients in the form of vegetables and fruits and even pretty flowers.Without plants using carbon dioxide, the global climate would drastically change overnight. With an excessive accumulation of carbon dioxide in the air, global temperatures will rise, putting the entire natural biodiversity at risk. This is one of the reasons why it feels cooler in places with many trees, like a forest.While this covers all the plants that grow on the land, did you know that underwater plants also put carbon dioxide to use? Aquatic plants also photosynthesize and therefore need carbon dioxide to produce the carbohydrates they require for energy. This they find in water as dissolved gases, from where they extract what they need. Such plants apply different adaptation techniques since getting the carbon dioxide underwater is far more tricky than on land. Because of this, only certain plants which have evolved to survive underwater can thrive in such conditions. For a typical terrestrial plant, a waterlogged area will be a nightmare and even its death bed, as photosynthesis becomes a Herculean task to perform.When do plants release oxygen?Plants release oxygen during the time of photosynthesis.Stomata are tiny pores found on the surface of the leaves. The stomata diffuses different types of gases. It is the outlet through which gases are exchanged between the plant and the external world. Therefore, plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen through stomata. When plants create food, the pores open up to take in carbon dioxide from the air, which automatically results in a release of oxygen and water vapor. Although, sometimes, this is a problem for plants that grow in the arid atmosphere. Because of the dry climate, they lose more water vapor than desired during the scorching day. Hence, plants like succulents and bromeliads open their pores at night to take in carbon dioxide and release more oxygen at night.While it is usually suggested not to sleep close to plants at night because they give out carbon dioxide, house plants like tulsi or snake plants will be beneficial. They purify the air when they release extra oxygen, even at night. Without sunlight, though, photosynthesis cannot occur. That is why carbon dioxide is only stored for use during the day. On the other hand, some plants give out oxygen all day long, that is, 24 hours. Peepal trees and aloe vera plants are quite well known for this. Of course, plants that do not create glucose cannot produce oxygen either.A question then comes to mind, will living beings on earth survive if there were no plants to provide the oxygen they were breathing? Of course, in the long term, the answer is no. Although, scientists made a rough estimation of how many years life can go on earth without plants. During that time, the figure was calculated to be 52,535 years. With an increase in population and air pollution, this number will undoubtedly have to be reduced.When do plants use oxygen?Plants make use of oxygen during aerobic respiration.Just like we inhale oxygen with our lungs, plants absorb oxygen to live as well. The catch lies that plants can create their oxygen. Plants need to absorb oxygen for respiration. They convert food and nutrients into carbon dioxide and produce energy used for plant growth, from its roots to stems and everything in between. Similar to the process of photosynthesis, plants respire through stomata. The difference between the photosynthesis process and the respiration process is that while photosynthesis takes place only in stems and leaves, plants respire not only through stems and leaves but also through their roots. Hence it is always advisable to aerate the soil well since the roots absorb oxygen and water from the soil.Similarly, for the growth of your house plants, air needs to be circulated to remain fresh. If the plants are kept in a closed atmosphere, the air they breathe gets stagnant over time. By opening the windows, you can allow the air to be circulated and remain fresh so your plants can get oxygen from the air. Without oxygen, therefore, plant life cannot be sustained either.In practice, plants live by absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere. However, in theory, if a green tree is exposed to proper sunlight and water is available in ample quantities to be absorbed by the plant’s roots, photosynthesis can occur without any hiccups, and the trees will be able to create enough oxygen for themselves.In the case of plants stuck with dry soil or waterlogged areas, the plants have adapted themselves by having their roots stick out from the soil (stilt roots) to get enough oxygen, though it demands a higher humidity in the atmosphere for the roots to survive.On the other hand, in the case of aquatic plants, water provides all the nutrients the plant needs to breathe. The stems and leaves are adapted to salvage the carbon dioxide from the water itself. For some floating plants, the stomata on the leaves are present on the side which faces the air to diffuse gases without trouble.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for do plants need oxygen to survive, Know how your plants breathe, then why not take a look at why do dogs lick your hands, what does it mean, or why do plants need water, plant growth facts to know?
Plants work hard during the day for something that stays still in their position.
