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Plants are also used as feedstock for many industrial products including timber, paper and textiles, as well as a wide range of chemicals. Ornamental plants give millions of people pleasure through gardening, and floriculture is a popular pastime among many. Viticulture and winemaking can provide both culinary and economic values to society.
Trees and forests provide a habitat for many species of animals and plants. Tropical rainforests are among the most biodiverse habitats in the world. Trees provide shade and shelter, timber for construction, fuel for cooking and heating, and fruit for food as well as having many other uses. In much of the world, forests are shrinking as trees ...
Greek mythology mentions many plants and flowers, [122] where for example the lotus tree bears a fruit that causes a pleasant drowsiness, [123] while moly is a magic herb mentioned by Homer in the Odyssey with a black root and white blossoms. [124] Magic plants are found, too, in Serbian mythology, where the raskovnik is supposed to be able to ...
living on a street with 10 more trees than average (both on the street and in backyards) makes you feel as healthy as if you were seven years younger.
Ecological goods and services (EG&S) are the economical benefits (goods and services) arising from the ecological functions of ecosystems. Such benefits accrue to all living organisms, including animals and plants, rather than to humans alone. However, there is a growing recognition of the importance to society that ecological goods and ...
Ecosystem services are the various benefits that humans derive from healthy ecosystems. These ecosystems, when functioning well, offer such things as provision of food, natural pollination of crops, clean air and water, decomposition of wastes, or flood control. Ecosystem services are grouped into four broad categories of services.
The forest is a natural system that can supply different products and services. Forests supply water, mitigate climate change, provide habitats for wildlife including many pollinators which are essential for sustainable food production, provide timber and fuelwood, serve as a source of non-wood forest products including food and medicine, and contribute to rural livelihoods.
Green plants provide a substantial proportion of the world's molecular oxygen; the sugars they create supply the energy for most of Earth's ecosystems, and other organisms, including animals, either eat plants directly or rely on organisms which do so. Grain, fruit, and vegetables are basic human foods and have been domesticated for