Is it true that forests are the lungs of the planet? November 17th, 2017
Yes, I remember exactly from school that forests are the lungs of the planet. There were posters. They constantly said that the forest needs to be protected, it also produces the oxygen that we breathe. Where are we without oxygen? Nowhere. That's why they compare woodlands with the lungs of our planet Earth.
And what? Isn't it all right?
Yes, not so. Forests in their functions are more like the work of the liver and kidneys. Forests provide as much oxygen as they consume. But with the task of cleaning the air and protecting the soil from erosion, they cope like no other.
So what can be called the "lungs of the planet"?
In fact, oxygen is produced not only by those plants that grow in the forest. All plant organisms, including the inhabitants of water bodies, and the inhabitants of the steppes, deserts constantly produce oxygen. Plants, unlike animals, fungi and other living organisms, can themselves synthesize organic substances using light energy for this. This process is called photosynthesis. As a result of photosynthesis, oxygen is released. It is a by-product of photosynthesis. Oxygen is released very, very much, in fact, 99% of the oxygen that is present in the Earth's atmosphere of plant origin. And only 1% comes from the mantle, the underlying layer of the Earth.
Of course, trees produce oxygen, but no one thinks about the fact that they also spend it. And not only them, all other inhabitants of the forest cannot be without oxygen. First of all, plants breathe on their own, this happens in the dark when photosynthesis does not occur. And you need to somehow dispose of the stocks of organic matter that they created during the day. That is, to eat. And in order to eat, you need to spend oxygen. Another thing is that plants spend much less oxygen than they produce. And this is ten times less. However, do not forget that there are still animals in the forest, as well as fungi, as well as various bacteria that do not produce oxygen themselves, but nevertheless breathe it. A significant amount of oxygen that the forest produced during the daylight hours will be used by the living organisms of the forest to support life. However, something will remain. And this is something about 60% of what the forest produces. This oxygen enters the atmosphere, but does not remain there for very long. Further, the forest itself withdraws oxygen, again for its own needs. Namely, the decomposition of the remains of dead organisms. In the end, the forest often spends 1.5 times more oxygen on the disposal of its own waste than it produces. It is impossible to call it the oxygen factory of the planet after that. True, there are forest communities that work on a zero oxygen balance. These are famous tropical forests.
The rainforest is generally a unique ecosystem, it is very stable, because the consumption of matter is equal to production. But again, there is no surplus left. So even tropical forests can hardly be called oxygen factories.
So why, then, after the city it seems to us that the forest has clean, fresh air, that there is a lot of oxygen there? The thing is that the production of oxygen is a very fast process, but the consumption is a very slow process.
So what then are the planet's oxygen factories? In fact, these are two ecosystems. Among the "terrestrial" are peat bogs. As we know, in a swamp, the process of decomposition of dead matter is very, very slow, as a result of which the dead parts of plants fall down, accumulate, and peat deposits are formed. Peat does not decompose, it is compressed and remains in the form of a huge organic brick. That is, during peat formation, a lot of oxygen is not wasted. Thus, marsh vegetation produces oxygen, but oxygen itself consumes very little. As a result, it is the swamps that give exactly the increase that remains in the atmosphere. However, there are not so many real peat bogs on land, and of course it is almost impossible for them alone to maintain the oxygen balance in the atmosphere. And here another ecosystem, which is called the world ocean, helps.
There are no trees in the oceans, grasses in the form of algae are observed only near the coast. However, vegetation in the ocean still exists. And most of it is made up of microscopic photosynthetic algae, which scientists call phytoplankton. These algae are so small that it is often impossible to see each of them with the naked eye. But the accumulation of them is visible to all. When bright red or bright green spots are visible on the sea. This is what phytoplankton is.
Each of these little algae produces huge amounts of oxygen. She consumes very little. Due to the fact that they are intensively dividing, the amount of oxygen produced by them is growing. One phytoplankton community produces 100 times more per day than a forest occupying such a volume. But at the same time they spend very little oxygen. Because when the algae die, they immediately fall to the bottom, where they are immediately eaten. After that, those who ate them are eaten by other, third organisms. And so few remains reach the bottom that they quickly decompose. There is simply no such long decomposition as in the forest, in the ocean. There, recycling is very fast, as a result of which oxygen is actually not wasted. And so there is a "big profit", and that's it stays in the atmosphere.
sources
There is a journalistic stamp that the forest is the lungs of planet Earth. But then what about the data of science, which suggests that the oxygen atmosphere arose on our planet long before photosynthesis?
In fact, plants on both land and oceans produce about as much oxygen during photosynthesis as they then consume themselves in the process of respiration.
Initially, the Earth's atmosphere had a generally reducing character: methane + ammonia + water + carbon dioxide.
The earth's crust should also have had a restorative character, since it was in equilibrium with the atmosphere.
And today we have that the atmosphere contains 20% free oxygen, and most of the rocks are completely oxidized and the system is in a state of equilibrium (the composition of the atmosphere has not changed significantly for several hundred million years).
In order to oxidize the entire primary atmosphere and lithosphere, a huge amount of free oxygen is needed.
The balances don't match
According to the generally accepted hypothesis, it is believed that living organisms are responsible for the release of oxygen.
But they are not suitable for this role, because despite the fact that plants emit a significant amount of oxygen per unit time, but in general the biosphere is quite stable - the circulation of substances takes place in it. The release of free oxygen can only be achieved through the accumulation of undecomposed residues (mainly in the form of coal). In other words:
H2O + CO2 = biomass(C + O + H) + O2 + C + CH4.
Given that the current biomass is small compared to the mass of even free oxygen in the atmosphere (it is approximately a hundred times less), we get that in order to form all atmospheric and lithospheric (for the oxidation of the primary lithosphere) oxygen, it is necessary that somewhere in the Earth are stored would be similar in mass reserves of coal and hydrocarbons - and this is a layer of several meters only for atmospheric oxygen, and for lithospheric oxygen it is orders of magnitude larger. No such reserves are observed (inferred reserves of coal and other hydrocarbons approximate the total biomass).
So, we obviously don't have balances.
In the bright sun
Note that another source of oxygen is the dissociation of water molecules under the action of solar radiation.
As is known, the velocity of molecules in a gas obeys the Maxwell distribution. According to this distribution, there is always a certain fraction of molecules whose speed exceeds the second cosmic one. And such molecules can freely leave the Earth. Moreover, light gases, hydrogen and helium, escape first of all from the atmosphere. Calculations show that the time of complete volatilization of hydrogen from the earth's atmosphere is only a few years. However, hydrogen is still present in the atmosphere. Why? For oxygen and other gases, this time exceeds the lifetime of the Earth. million years. In the earth's atmosphere, hydrogen and helium are constantly renewed due to the supply from the earth's interior and a number of atmospheric processes. Hydrogen, which forms a "corona" around the Earth, is a product of the dissociation of water molecules under the influence of ultraviolet and X-ray radiation from the Sun.
Calculations show that over a period of about ten million years, an amount of oxygen equal to the current value arises in the atmosphere due to photodissociation.
So we get:
1) Initially, the atmosphere, lithosphere and the entire mantle of the Earth are of a restorative nature.
2) Due to photodissociation, water (which, by the way, came from the mantle as a result of volcanic activity) decomposes into oxygen and hydrogen. The last one leaves the Earth.
3) The remaining oxygen oxidizes the primary lithosphere and atmosphere to the current state.
4) Why doesn’t oxygen accumulate, because it is constantly supplied as a result of photodissociation (the current amount accumulates over 10 million years, and the age of the Earth is 4.5 billion)? It goes to the oxidation of the mantle. As a result of the movement of continents in subduction zones, a new crust is formed from the mantle. The rocks of this crust are oxidized under the action of the atmosphere and hydrosphere. These oxidized rocks from oceanic plates in subduction zones are then fed back into the mantle.
Extras of the universe
But what about living organisms, you ask? They actually play the role of extras - there was no free oxygen, they lived without it - at a primitive unicellular level. Appeared - adapted and began to live with him - but already in the form of advanced multicellular organisms.
So whether there will be forests on Earth or not, this will not affect the oxygen content in the planet's atmosphere. Another thing is that the forest cleans the air of dust, saturates it with phytoncides, gives shelter and food to many animals and birds, gives people aesthetic pleasure ... But calling the forest “green lungs” is at least illiterate.
Rainforests located in the tropical, equatorial and subequatorial belts between 25 ° N.L. and 30 ° S, as if "surrounding" the surface of the Earth along the equator. Tropical forests are only torn apart by oceans and mountains.
The general circulation of the atmosphere originates from the zone of high atmospheric pressure in the tropics, in the low pressure zone near the equator, evaporated moisture is transferred in the same direction. This leads to the existence of a humid equatorial belt and a dry tropical one. Between them is the subequatorial belt, in which moisture depends on the direction of the monsoons, depending on the time of year.
Vegetation rainforest very diverse, depending mainly on the amount of precipitation and its distribution over the seasons. With abundant (more than 2000 mm), and relatively uniform distribution develop humid tropical evergreen forests.
Further from the equator, the rainy period is replaced by a dry one, and the forests are replaced with leaves falling during the drought, and then these forests are replaced by savannah forests. However, in Africa and South America there is a pattern: from west to east, monsoon and equatorial forests are replaced by savanna forests.
Tropical forest classification
tropical rainforest, tropical rain forest these are forests with specific biomes located in equatorial (moist equatorial forest), subequatorial and humid tropical areas with a very humid climate (2000-7000 mm of precipitation per year).
Tropical rainforests are rich in biodiversity. This is the most livable natural area. lives here a large number of own, including endemic species of animals and plants, as well as migratory animals. Tropical rainforests are home to two-thirds of all animal and plant species on the planet. It is assumed that millions of species of animals and plants have not yet been described.
These forests are sometimes referred to as " jewels of the earth" and " the largest pharmacy in the world”, as a large number of natural medicinal remedies have been found here. They are also called " lungs of the earth”, however, this statement is debatable because it has no scientific justification, since these forests either do not produce oxygen at all, or produce very little of it.
But it should be borne in mind that a humid climate contributes to effective air filtration, due to the condensation of moisture on the microparticles of pollution, which has a generally beneficial effect on the atmosphere.
Understorey formation in tropical forests is severely limited in many places due to lack of sunlight in the lower layer. This allows man and animals to move through the forest. If for any reason the leafy canopy is missing or weakened, the lower tier is quickly covered with a dense thicket of vines, shrubs and small trees - this formation is called the jungle.
The largest areas of tropical rainforests are found in the Amazon basin (“Amazonian rainforests”), in Nicaragua, in the southern part of the Yucatan Peninsula (Guatemala, Belize), in most of Central America (where they are called “selva”), in equatorial Africa from Cameroon to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in many areas South-East Asia from Myanmar to Indonesia and New Guinea, in the Australian state of Queensland.
For tropical rainforests characteristic:
- variety of flora
- the presence of 4-5 tree tiers, the absence of shrubs, a large number of vines
- dominance evergreen trees with large evergreen leaves, poorly developed bark, buds, not protected kidney scales, deciduous trees in monsoon forests;
- the formation of flowers and then fruits directly on the trunks and thick branches
Trees in tropical rainforests have several general characteristics, which are not observed in plants of less humid climates.
The base of the trunk in many species has wide, woody ledges. Previously it was assumed that these ledges help the tree to maintain balance, but now it is believed that water with dissolved nutrients flows down these ledges to the roots of the tree. Wide leaves of trees, shrubs and grasses of the lower tiers of the forest are characteristic. The wide leaves help the plants absorb sunlight better under the tree edges of the forest, and they are protected from the wind from above.
Tall young trees that have not yet reached the topstory also have broader foliage, which then decreases with height. The leaves of the upper tier, which form the canopy, are usually smaller and heavily cut to reduce wind pressure. On the lower floors, the leaves are often tapered at the ends so that this facilitates the rapid runoff of water and prevents the growth of microbes and moss on them that destroy the leaves.
The tops of the trees are often very well interconnected with creeper or epiphytic plants attached to them.
The trees of the humid tropical forest are characterized by unusually thin (1-2 mm) tree bark, sometimes covered with sharp thorns or thorns, the presence of flowers and fruits growing directly on tree trunks, big variety juicy fruits that attract birds and mammals.
Insects are very abundant in tropical rainforests, especially butterflies (one of the richest fauna in the world) and beetles, and fish are abundant in rivers (about 2000 species, approximately one third of the world's freshwater fauna).
Despite the stormy vegetation, the soil in tropical rainforests is thin and with a small humus horizon.
Rapid decay caused by bacteria prevents the accumulation of the humus layer. The concentration of iron and aluminum oxides due to laterization soil (the process of reducing the silica content of the soil with a simultaneous increase in iron and aluminum oxides) turns the soil bright red and sometimes forms deposits of minerals (for example, bauxite). But on rocks of volcanic origin, tropical soils can be quite fertile.
Tropical rainforest levels (tiers)
The rainforest is divided into four main levels, each of which has its own characteristics, has a different flora and fauna.
The topmost level
This tier consists of a small amount of very tall trees towering above the forest canopy, reaching a height of 45-55 meters (rare species reach 60-70 meters). Most often the trees are evergreen, but some shed their foliage during the dry season. Such trees must withstand harsh temperatures and strong winds. Eagles live on this level the bats, some species of monkeys and butterflies.
Crown level (forest canopy)
The crown level is formed by the majority of tall trees, usually 30-45 meters high. This is the densest layer known in all terrestrial biodiversity, with neighboring trees forming a more or less continuous layer of foliage.
According to some estimates, the plants of this tier make up about 40 percent of the species of all plants on the planet - perhaps half of the entire flora of the Earth can be found here. The fauna is similar to the upper level, but more diverse. It is believed that a quarter of all insect species live here.
Scientists have long suspected the diversity of life at this level, but only recently have developed practical research methods. It wasn't until 1917 that the American naturalist William Bead stated that "another continent of life remains unexplored, not on Earth, but 200 feet above its surface, spreading over thousands of square miles."
True exploration of this layer only began in the 1980s, when scientists developed methods to reach the forest canopy, such as shooting ropes at the treetops with crossbows. The study of the forest canopy is still in progress. early stage. Other research methods include balloon or aircraft travel. The science of access to the tops of trees is called dendronautics.
Middle level
Between the forest canopy and the forest floor there is another level called the undergrowth. It is home to a number of birds, snakes and lizards. Insect life at this level is also very extensive. The leaves in this tier are much wider than at crown level.
forest floor
In Central Africa, in the tropical primary forest of Mount Virunga, the illumination at ground level is 0.5%; in the forests of southern Nigeria and in the area of Santarem (Brazil) 0.5-1%. In the north of the island of Sumatra, in the dipterocarp forest, the illumination is about 0.1%.
Away from river banks, swamps, and open spaces where dense, low-growing vegetation grows, the forest floor is relatively free of plants. Rotting plants and animal remains can be seen on this level, quickly disappearing due to the warm, humid climate for rapid decomposition.
Selva(Spanish " selva" from lat. " silva"- forest) is humid equatorial forests in South America. It is located on the territory of countries such as Brazil, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, Guyana, Paraguay, Colombia, etc.
Selva is formed on vast lowland areas of land under conditions of constant freshwater moisture, as a result of which the soil of the selva is extremely poor in minerals washed out by tropical rains. The selva is often swampy.
vegetable and animal world selva is a riot of colors and a variety of species of plants, birds and mammals.
The largest selva in terms of area is located in the Amazon basin in Brazil).
In the Atlantic Selva, the level of precipitation reaches two thousand millimeters per year, and the humidity fluctuates at the level of 75-90 percent.
The selva is divided into three levels. The soil is covered with leaves, branches, fallen tree trunks, lichens, fungus and moss. The soil itself has a reddish color. The first level of the forest consists of low plants, ferns and grass. The second level is represented by shrubs, reeds and young trees. On the third level there are trees from twelve to forty meters high.
Mangroves - evergreen deciduous forests, common in the tidal strip of sea coasts in tropical and equatorial latitudes, as well as in temperate zones, where warm currents favor this. They occupy the strip between the lowest water level at low tide and the highest at high tide. These are trees or shrubs that grow in mangroves, or mangrove swamps.
Mangrove plants live in coastal sedimentary environments where fine sediments, often with a high organic content, accumulate in places protected from wave energy.
Mangroves have an exceptional ability to exist and develop in a salty environment on soils deprived of oxygen.
Once established, the roots of mangrove plants create a habitat for oysters and help slow down the flow of water, thereby increasing sediment deposition in areas where it is already occurring.
As a rule, fine, oxygen-poor sediments under mangroves play the role of reservoirs for a wide variety of heavy metals (traces of metals) that are captured from sea water by colloidal particles in sediments. In areas of the world where mangroves have been destroyed during development, the disruption of these sedimentary rocks creates the problem of heavy metal contamination of seawater and local flora and fauna.
It is often claimed that mangroves are of significant value in the coastal zone, acting as a buffer against erosion, the onslaught of storms and tsunamis. While there is some reduction in wave height and energy as seawater passes through mangroves, it must be recognized that mangroves usually grow in those areas of the coastline where low wave energy is the norm. Therefore, their ability to withstand the powerful onslaught of storms and tsunamis is limited. Their long-term impact on erosion rates is also likely to be limited.
The many river channels meandering through the mangroves actively erode the mangroves on the outside of all the bends in the river, just as new mangroves appear on the inside of the same bends where the deposition takes place.
Mangroves are a habitat for wildlife, including a number of commercial fish and crustaceans, and in at least some cases the export of mangrove carbon is important in the coastal food web.
In Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and India, mangroves are grown in coastal areas for coastal fisheries.
Despite ongoing mangrove breeding programs, More than half of the world's mangroves have already been lost.
The floristic composition of mangrove forests is relatively uniform. The most complex, high and multi-species mangrove forests of the eastern formation (the shores of the Malay Peninsula, etc.) are considered.
Foggy forest (moss forest, nephelogilea) – humid tropical montane evergreen forest. It is located in the tropics on the slopes of mountains in the fog condensation zone.
The foggy forest is located in the tropics on the slopes of mountains in the fog condensation zone, usually starts from an altitude of 500-600 m and reaches a height of up to 3500 meters above sea level. It is much cooler here than in the jungle, located in low-lying places, at night the temperature can drop to almost 0 degrees. But it is even more humid here, up to six cubic meters of water falls per square meter per year. And if it doesn't rain, then the moss-covered trees stand shrouded in fog caused by intense evaporation.
Foggy forest formed by trees with abundant vines, with a dense cover of epiphytic mosses.
Tree ferns, magnolia, camellia are characteristic, the forest may also include non-tropical vegetation: evergreen oaks, podocarpus, which distinguishes given type forests from lowland hylae
Variable rainforests- forests common in tropical and equatorial zones, in a climate with a short dry season. They are located south and north of the humid equatorial forests. Variably humid forests are found in Africa (CAR, DR Congo, Cameroon, northern Angola, extreme south of Sudan), South America, India, Sri Lanka, and Indochina.
Variable rainforests are partially deciduous dense rainforests. They differ from tropical rainforests in lower species diversity, a decrease in the number of epiphytes and lianas.
Dry tropical evergreen forest. They are located in areas with an arid climate, while remaining dense and evergreen, becoming stunted and xeromorphic.
HUMAN IMPACT ON TROPICAL FORESTS
Contrary to popular belief, tropical rainforests are not major consumers of carbon dioxide and, like other established forests, are neutral to carbon dioxide.
Recent studies show that most rainforests, on the contrary, are intensively produce carbon dioxide, and swamps produce methane.
However, these forests play a significant role in the turnover of carbon dioxide, since they are its established basins, and the cutting down of such forests leads to an increase in the carbon dioxide content in the Earth's atmosphere. Tropical rainforests also play a role in cooling the air that passes through them. So tropical rainforests - one of the most important ecosystems of the planet, the destruction of forests leads to soil erosion, reduction of flora and fauna species, shifts in the ecological balance by large territories and on the planet as a whole.
Tropical rainforests often reduced to plantations of cinchona and coffee trees, coconut palms, and rubber plants. In South America, tropical rainforests are also seriously threatened by unsustainable mining.
A.A. Kazdym
List of used literature
- M. B. Gornung. Constantly humid tropics. M.:, "Thought", 1984.
- Hogarth, P. J. The Biology of Mangroves. Oxford University Press, 1999.
- Thanikaimoni, G., Mangrove Palynology, 1986
- Tomlinson, P. B. The Botany of Mangroves, Cambridge University Press. 1986:
- Jayatissa, L. P., Dahdouh-Guebas, F. & Koedam, N. A review of the floral composition and distribution of mangroves in Sri Lanka. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 138, 2002, 29-43.
- http://www.glossary.ru/cgi-bin/gl_sch2.cgi?RSwuvo,lxqol!rlxg
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I think each of us has heard the expression: - "Forests are the lungs of our planet." Indeed, this is true, but unfortunately these very "vital organs of the Earth" have been cut down at an unrealistic rate over the past 30 years. The statistics are as follows - every 2 seconds, on planet Earth, a part of a forest the size of a football field is cut down. Due to this, some species of animals and plants are disappearing.
The world-famous organization "Greenpeace" claims that by 2050, the extinction of animals and plants will be 1000 times faster than now.
It would be a pity to part with such beauty ...
I think each of us has heard the expression: - "Forests are the lungs of our planet." Indeed, this is true, but unfortunately these very "vital organs of the Earth" have been cut down at an unrealistic rate over the past 30 years.
The "lungs of our planet" are in the Amazon. It is the Amazon rainforest that is the most powerful producer of oxygen on Earth. The Amazon covers approximately 7,000,000 square kilometers in 9 states - Brazil (60%), Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
The Amazon represents more than half of the remaining rainforests in the world, and they grow around the world's largest river of the same name, making the entire Amazon region a unique center of the planet. Along with all this, the biodiversity of this area is striking, although most of the Amazon has not even been studied yet.
Both flora and fauna surprise with their richness. Imagine that there are more than a MILLION of the most different types plants and animals.
According to scientists, there are 1500 species of flowers, 750 species of trees, 125 species of mammals, 400 species of birds and countless insects per 10 square meters of rainforest.
On the picture: Red and green macaw
The San Rafael Falls is the largest waterfall in Ecuador. The Salado River falls into the gorge in two steps from a height of 150 meters and 100 meters, creating a stunningly beautiful view.
The water star in the Amazon. Victoria amazonica, named after Queen Victoria of England, is a typical Amazonian plant. They can reach 2 meters in diameter and support the weight. small child, while the water lily does not sink. The flowers of Victoria amazonica are underwater and appear only once a year during a bloom that lasts only a couple of days. There is a legend that says that once upon a time there lived a girl who loved to look at the night sky. She thought that the moon might come and take her to the sky to look at the stars. One night, she leaned over the river and saw the reflection of the moon in the water. Enchanted by her, she fell into the river and hid under the water, and the image of the moon in the water turned into a flower. Therefore, the Victoria Amazonian flower is called the "Star of Water".
On the Tambolpata River, in the Amazon region of Peru, a group of children were playing football on a tiny island of sand in the middle of the river.
Three-toed sloth. locals believe that a pregnant woman should not look at him, otherwise her child will look like him.
Yacumana and Chullachaqui are two demons from local legends. Yakumana is a water demon, and Chullachuki can transform any person's facial expressions. Look at his legs, so you can identify him - he always has one big leg.
The Amazon rainforest, also known as the Amazonia, is one of the world's most valuable natural resources. Because its vegetation continuously converts carbon dioxide into oxygen, it has been called "The Lungs of Our Planet". About 20 percent of the Earth's oxygen is produced tropical forests Amazons.
About 15 million years ago, the Amazon was flowing west and emptying into the Pacific Ocean. When the South American tectonic plate crossed another, the slowly rising Andes blocked the flow of the river. As a result, lakes were formed and the Amazon basin changed a lot, then, about 10 million years ago, the river found its way east towards the Atlantic. Tasks
To study literary sources on this topic, find information on the Internet;
To study the influence of trees on human health;
Make observations of appearance trees within the city and beyond.
Main part
In the life of man and mankind has great importance. On the one hand, the forest, being one of the main components of environment human, to a large extent affects the climate, the availability of clean water, clean air, protects agricultural land, provides places for comfortable living and recreation for people, preserves the diversity of wildlife. On the other hand, the forest is a source of many material resources that humanity cannot do without and is unlikely to be able to do in the future - wood for construction, paper and furniture production, firewood, food and medicinal plants and others. On the third hand, the forest is part of that cultural and historical environment, under the influence of which the culture and customs of entire peoples are formed, the source of work, independence and material well-being a significant part of the population, especially those who live in forest villages and towns.
For humanity, the forest plays three roles - ecological, economic and social, but for each individual, depending on where he lives and what he does, this or that role of the forest can play a greater or lesser role. The smaller the forest, the more noticeable its environmental role, the more highly valued the role of the forest in the preservation of rivers and streams, the protection of adjacent agricultural lands from drying out and erosion, the beneficial effect on the air, and the provision of places for recreation. The larger the forest, the less its environmental role is noticed, but the more important the forest is as a source of work, economic well-being, building materials, firewood, mushrooms, berries and other material resources. However, for every person, wherever he lives and whatever he does, the environment-forming, resource, and social role of the forest is to some extent important.
Forests are associated with the existence of the main share of the biological diversity of the Earth - the diversity of living organisms and ecosystems existing on our planet. Forests are the main habitat for about three-quarters of all plant, animal and fungal species that exist on our planet, and most of these species simply cannot exist without a forest. Preservation of the diversity of the Earth's forests, and in the first place - wild forests, still living according to the laws wildlife with minimal human intervention, is key to preserving the diversity of life.
Equally well-known is the role of forests in maintaining a clean - chief natural resource, the shortage of which is increasingly felt in various parts of the Earth, including many regions of Russia. The forest is playing big role in the global distribution of precipitation: moisture evaporated by trees returns to the atmospheric circulation, which creates conditions for its longer transfer from oceans and seas deep into the continents. Modern research shows that if there were no forests, then the territories remote from the seas and oceans would be much more arid or even deserted, unsuitable for human life and development. Agriculture. The forest effectively delays the melting of snow in spring and the runoff of water after heavy rains, thereby "smoothing" the rise of water in the rivers, preventing destructive floods and drying up of rivers and streams in a drought. The forest reliably protects the banks of rivers and streams from erosion, thereby preventing pollution of water bodies by soil particles.
The role of the forest as a "green ": the forest absorbs and binds carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, accumulates carbon in the composition of the organic matter of living plants, their remains and soil, and releases oxygen back, which is necessary for all living beings to breathe. There are more than 300 names of various chemical compounds in the air of natural forests.
At the same time, the forest very effectively cleans the air of dust and other harmful impurities - they easily settle on the surface of leaves and needles and are washed off to the ground by rain. The forest, evaporating large amounts of water, maintains an increased humidity of the air, protecting not only itself, but also the surrounding territories from drying out.
Forest, especially coniferous, highlights - volatile substances with bactericidal properties. Phytoncides kill pathogenic microbes. In certain doses, they have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, enhance motor and secretory functions. gastrointestinal tract, improve metabolism and stimulate cardiac activity. Many of them are enemies of pathogens of infectious diseases. But only if there are few of them.
Phytoncides of poplar buds, Antonov apples, eucalyptus have a detrimental effect on the influenza virus. twig , brought into the room, 10 times reduces the content of microbes in the air, especially whooping cough and diphtheria. Leaves destroy the bacteria of typhoid fever and dysentery.
Thanks to powerful root systems that penetrate the soil, trees strengthen the banks of rivers and mountain slopes, preventing water from eroding them. The protective role of the forest in the mountains is especially important, where trees resist snow avalanches, and on the sea coasts, where they hold back the advance of sand dunes. Trees strengthen the soil, protecting settlements and roads from landslides, mudflows and sand drifts.
With the development of human civilization, the increase in population, the requirements for the quality of the environment, the need for clean water, air and similar benefits provided by the forest, the environment-forming importance of the forest in the life of mankind increases. And most importantly, the simple awareness of this role is gradually, albeit very slowly, being replaced by a willingness to do something so that the role of the forest in preserving a favorable environment never dries up. Fortunately, there are still huge forests on Earth - natural sinks of carbon dioxide. Our country is often called a great forest power. Indeed, the forest zone occupies more than half of the territory of Russia.
Research and experience
Experience #1
I have observed coniferous plants. in winter coniferous plants discard old yellowed needles. In the depths of the forest, the trees are taller and more fluffy. They are dusty and lethargic near the road. I collected needles along with snow near the road and in the depths of the forest. I put them in a glass of water. When the snow melted, there was sediment. In a glass with needles collected from the road, there was more sediment. The water in the glass was cloudy.
Experience #2
Observation of the bark of trees. Bark in the depths of the forest: white, clean, beautiful. Birch bark near the road: greyish, unattractive, with many cracks.
Conclusion: Air with emissions from metal processing has a bad effect on the condition of trees.
How can man influence nature?
He can influence well, i.e. help nature: a person plants trees, takes care of plants and animals, feeds birds. It can influence badly, i.e. harm nature, spoil, destroy it, a person can cut down trees, destroy animals, throw away garbage, pollute the air with smoke, car exhaust, so environmental problems arise. A man cuts trees: the trees themselves die, birds and insects die, squirrels that lived on trees, the streams that flowed at the foot of the trees dry up, the fish that lived in these streams die. Thus arises ecological problem: how to save forests and their inhabitants?
A person heats houses: he burns coal, firewood, smoke comes out, factory and factory chimneys smoke, car exhaust pipes emit gases. Some of these gases are highly toxic. Trees die, animals and people get sick from them. How to keep the air clean? We, humans, pollute and destroy nature, and almost every schoolchild, knowing or not knowing it, also pollutes nature. How do we pollute nature? Surely, one of you threw away plastic bags and plastic bottles into the street, into the ditch, into the bushes. Can it be done? Of course not. And why? Firstly, it is simply ugly, and secondly, it destroys nature.
Experience #3
You see a spark. He is alive, he dances, dances, breathes air. And now we will close this live light with a plastic bag or a bottle. What happened to the flame? He died. He didn't have enough air to breathe. In the same way, blades of grass, flowers, insects can die from lack of air. Also, all living things die under scattered bags and bottles. Tell me, do you like sweets, and chocolate, and chewing gum? Where do you throw away the candy wrappers? Have you been drinking canned lemonade? Where do you put the jar? Many schoolchildren throw candy wrappers, bottles, jars right into the street, into bushes, ditches, under trees. Some people think that trees also litter, because they also drop their leaves on the ground, therefore, they think, a person can also litter. Are these guys right? No, these guys are wrong. You can't do that. In autumn, candy wrappers and bottles-jars are invisible in the foliage, but in spring ... Remember what kind of dirt happens in the spring on the street. The leaves from the trees rot, the paper turns slightly yellow, but nothing happens to the jars and bottles.
Experience No. 4
Let's take a dry leaf, try to crush it, we get a light, imperceptible dust, which the wind will immediately blow away. Now let's try to crumble a piece of paper. He only crumpled, but did not turn into dust. And with a jar and a bottle, nothing happened at all. Now let's try to wet a piece of wood, paper and a jar. What happens? A piece of paper gets wet and tears easily, a piece of toilet paper is also easy to tear, but ordinary paper does not tear so easily. The film and the jar just got wet, and we cannot tear or break them. It's the same in nature - only leaves and toilet paper will quickly rot and disappear, and it will take years for paper, plastic wrap or a bottle to rot and disappear. So, paper decomposes in 3 - 4 years, an iron can decomposes, rusts in 6 - 10 years, plastic film will decompose in 60 - 100 years, and glass will lie in the ground for 600 years. Therefore, if you throw away all this garbage today, then The paper will rot in 2 years. When you finish school, the iron can will rust and fall apart. When you grow old and become ancient grandfathers and old women, only then will a plastic bag disappear into the ground, and broken glass or a bottle will lie in the ground for many, many years after you and only then turn into sand.
Experience No. 5
Let's take a plastic bag and try to burn a piece of it. And we will hold a white rag over the smoke from this fire. Look at the rag. She smoked. And what an unpleasant smell! This means that harmful substances are released during combustion. This soot and soot settle on trees, making it difficult for green leaves to breathe, getting into the lungs of animals and people, leading to severe poisoning and diseases. What do you do with garbage anyway? It turns out that each type of waste needs special processing. Food waste can be given to cats and dogs, they often run around hungry and will be very grateful to you. Paper must be collected and recycled. What for? Again, a double benefit. You - money for waste paper. And most importantly, that factories and factories will again make notebooks, books, newspapers from waste paper. 15 textbooks are made from one tree. By handing over 5 kg of paper to waste paper, you will save a tree! Metal cans are sold as scrap metal and are smelted into new metal. But if you still have any garbage left, do not throw it into the ditch, collect it and take it to the dumpster. This garbage will be taken to dumps, to specially equipped places, where it will be processed, buried, and it will no longer cause great harm to nature.
Conclusion
The higher, the better...
- our helpers, their leaves are organs that produce organic substances during photosynthesis to feed the plant. A by-product of this process is oxygen gas, which is released through stomata, the tiny pores in the leaf skin. By absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, trees maintain a favorable air composition for most organisms. Therefore, forests are called the lungs of the planet.
It turns out that with the help of plants, there is more oxygen on our planet, which means that a person can continue to live. What would happen if all the forests on our planet disappeared? Then, after a few years, the entire supply of oxygen on the planet ended. People would use up oxygen, and if there is no oxygen, then a person, and even animals, will not be able to live on Earth.
By protecting forests, we help ourselves, provide everyone with fresh air. Take care of the forests, because they are our life! And if you meet people who harm nature, conduct experiments for them, they are more convincing than all words.
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