Carbon Dioxide Requirements for Green Plants

Plants are the base of our ecosystem. They provide food, shelter, filtration and oxygen. All each plant needs in return is nutrients, soil, water and carbon dioxide. Each plant type---trees, bushes, scrubs, cacti, vines, flowers and grasses---need different levels of carbon dioxide, but receive the gas without any effort by humans.

Photosynthesis

The aim of photosynthesis is to produce sucrose ---a sugar. Essentially plant food, sucrose fuels growth and survival of the plant as well as the animals who eat the plant such as humans.

Trees

Mature trees consume 48 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. The growth enabled by photosynthesis varies by species and age.

Plants

Plants prescribe to the "more is better" philosophy. Greater amounts of carbon dioxide increase plant growth, which is limited only by other photosynthesis requirements.

Oxygen

A single tree produces enough oxygen for two people for an entire year as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Two humans breathe in 4370 pounds of oxygen in a year.

Benefits

Plants need carbon dioxide like humans need oxygen. As humans develop more technology, plants do not discriminate, consuming carbon dioxide produced by both machine and animals, reducing human impact.

References

• Human Oxygen requirements
• Carbon Dioxide is Great for Plants
• Tree Banking

Resources

• Higher Carbon Dioxide May Give Pine Trees A Competitive Edge
• Plants Absorb More Carbon Dioxide Under Polluted Hazy Skies
• Nature Works