BIOL 1202 Chapter : 4/7/11 Bio Nots
Document Summary
All land plants came from some sort of green algae. Plants have evolved the ability to thrive in diverse habitats. People at work who can see plants report significantly greater job satisfaction than those who don"t. Largest flowers can be 3 feet in diameter. Plants produce most of the oxygen we breathe. Plants produce most of the chemically stored energy we consume as food and burn as fuel. Plants produce an amazing assortment of useful chemicals. Joseph priestley back in 1772 recognized that an animal"s breathing injured" air would die. Priestley also recognized that plants have the ability to restore the air. We now know that they produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis. Plants fix carbon dioxide into energy rich molecule we animals can use as food: plants convert co2 gas into sugars through the process of photosynthesis. Plants can produce an amazing assortment of chemicals: vitamin a, vanillin, vitamin c, caffeine, morphine.
