All living organisms on the planet are divided into cellular and non-cellular, the latter include only viruses. The first are divided into eukaryotes (those in whose cells there is a nucleus) and prokaryotes (there is no nucleus, DNA does not have additional protection). The latter are bacteria. And eukaryotes are divided into all known kingdoms: animals, fungi, plants. The value of plants in nature is very important. The branch that studies these organisms is called botany. This is a branch of such a science as biology. The importance of plants in our lives, we will consider in this article.
How are they different from other organisms?
First of all, let's consider how the realm of nature Plants differs from all the others. First of all, it should be noted that they are autotrophs, that is, they themselves produce organic substances for themselves. Plant cells also have some differences from animal cells. First of all, it should be noted that they have a solid cell wall consisting of cellulose. In animal cells, there is a soft glycocalyx, consisting of carbohydrates, above the plasma membrane. Due to the fact thatmany unnecessary substances cannot be removed from the cell through the solid cell wall, there are vacuoles where they accumulate. Young cells have more of these organelles, and they are small. After some time, they merge into one large central vacuole. They also have special organelles for the synthesis of the necessary organic substances - these are chloroplasts. In addition, there are two more types of plastids - chromoplasts and leucoplasts. The former contain special pigments that can, for example, attract pollinating insects to flowers. Leukoplasts store some nutrients, primarily starch.
The importance of plants in nature
The most important function of these organisms is related to their autotrophy. The role of plants in nature cannot be overestimated, as they give us something without which we simply could not exist. No wonder they are called the lungs of our planet. The role of plants in nature is associated with the process of photosynthesis, through which these organisms obtain nutrients for themselves. This process underlies all life on Earth. Also, the importance of plants in nature lies in the fact that they are the main source of organic substances for animals, whose body itself cannot produce them, and the main link in the food chain. So, herbivores eat these organisms, carnivores eat herbivores, etc.
What is photosynthesis?
This is the process of a chemical reaction during which organic substances are formed from inorganic substances. For its implementation, the plant requires water and carbon dioxide, as well as solar energy. As a result, this organism receives glucose, which is necessary for it to live, as well as oxygen as a by-product, which is released to the outside. It is thanks to plants that we can live on our planet, because if it were not for them, there would not be enough oxygen for the existence of animals.
In those prehistoric times, when life on the planet was just beginning to emerge, the level of oxygen in the atmosphere barely reached one or two percent. Now, thanks to the work of plants for billions of years, twenty-one percent of the air consists of gas vital for animals. It was the life of plants in nature that allowed all other kingdoms of organisms to arise (except for viruses and bacteria, which occurred much earlier).
Where does photosynthesis take place?
Since we already know that it is the meaning of plants in nature, we will consider it in more detail.
This process occurs in the leaves, namely in their green part. It involves the pigment chlorophyll, which gives plants such a color, as well as enzymes - natural catalysts that allow a chemical reaction to be carried out much faster and without the use of high temperatures. Chloroplast organelles are responsible for photosynthesis, which are located in the cells of the leaves and, to a lesser extent, in the stems.
Chloroplast structure
This organelle belongs to those that have one membrane. Chloroplasts have their own ribosomes, which are essential for protein synthesis. In addition, circular DNA molecules float in the matrix of this organoid, on which information about these proteins is recorded. It may also contain starch and lipids. The main components of the chloroplast can be called greens, which consist of thylakoids stacked in a pile. It is in the thylakoids that the process of photosynthesis is concentrated. It contains chlorophyll and all the necessary enzymes.
Chemical reaction of photosynthesis
It can be written in the following equation: 6CO2 + 6H2O=C6H12O6 + 6O2. That is, if a plant receives six moles of carbon dioxide and water, it will be able to produce one mole of glucose and six moles of oxygen, which will be released into the atmosphere.
Diversity of plants in nature
All plants can be divided into unicellular and multicellular. The former include algae such as chlamydomonas, euglena and others. Multicellular, in turn, are divided into higher and lower. The latter include algae. This is due to the fact that they do not have organs, their body is represented by a continuous thallus, the cells of which are undifferentiated. Algae can be divided into green, blue-green, red and brown. They can be used in industry, eaten by both animals and humans.
Higher plants have a wide variety of species. First of all, two large groups can be distinguished - spore and seed. The first ones areferns, horsetails, club mosses and mosses. The life cycle of all of them consists of two different generations: sporophyte and gametophyte. Seed plants are divided into gymnosperms (these include conifers, ginkgos and cycads) and angiosperms, or flowering plants.
Among the latter, two groups can also be distinguished: monocots and dicots. They differ in the number of cotyledons (as the name implies, there can be two or one). They have some differences in structure, in appearance it is often possible to determine which class a particular plant belongs to. Monocots have a fibrous root system, while dicots have a taproot. The former have parallel or arcuate leaf venation, while the latter are reticulate or pinnate. The former include such families as Cereals, Orchids, Liliaceae, Amaryllis (with the Onion subfamily), etc. Among the dicotyledonous families, the following families can be distinguished: Nightshade, Rosaceae, Cruciferous (Cabbage), Magnolia, Walnut, Beech and many others. All angiosperms have the ability to bloom, therefore, in addition to their main functions, these plants also perform aesthetic.
Conclusion
After reading this article, we can conclude that plants play a huge role in nature, without them life on Earth and us cannot exist.
Therefore, it is very important to fight for the preservation of full-fledged forests that purify our air and give us the oxygen we need to exist. In addition, plants are the basis of the food supply for animals, and if they disappear, then thisa group of organisms will simply have nowhere to take organic matter.
