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Trees are the source of life. Not only for natural ecosystems, but also for human survival. Its use for feeding, heating and building a myriad of objects involves exploitation that, among other factors, triggers deforestation and, with it, the destruction of habitat. In this Green Ecologist article, we talk about the importance of trees for the environment as well as for the human being and the rest of nature.
The importance of trees for humans
In fact, life as we know it begins with the plants. Much earlier, around four billion years ago, the first molecules were formed, considered the most primitive forms of life. But it was not until oxygenic photosynthesis took place, around 3.5 billion years ago, that the atmosphere began to oxygenate.
Therefore, the first land plants, which arose around 450 million years ago, were not pioneers in carrying out the process of photosynthesis and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. Although it is true that solar radiation was used to form sugars from water and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the key to photosynthesis, and that from these the first plant cells developed, predecessors of algae and the plants.
The plants began to be erect and to create wood after a great drought, first as herbs or shrubs, and then as trees. Human beings, for their part, come from hominoids, whose fossils are older than 6 million years. And, as is well known, our history has undoubtedly been linked to trees from the very beginning.
Regardless of the immediate profits we get from trees, its existence is key to our survival, as well as for countless living beings.
In numbers, trees are necessary for the survival of nine out of ten of the known species, and the percentage would likely increase if we go beyond habitat and focus on oxygen production.
The trees, yes, they help us breathe. Algae and other marine plants alone produce about 70 percent, but trees are critical to making the atmosphere breathable by humans. Otherwise, it would be rarefied air.
Only one tree can produce enough oxygen for 18 people, although it varies greatly depending on species and sizes. Together with the rest of the plants, they are responsible for a fifth of the oxygen on the planet.
If they are known as the lungs of the planet, it is also due to their important role in the carbon cycle. Acting as gigantic carbon sinks, just as the ocean does, slows down global warming.
The importance of trees for nature
The role of tree stands in the carbon cycle, thus, is a key aspect when it comes to understanding their importance for the environment.
The same photosynthesis It is what makes them absorb the CO2 present in the atmosphere, releasing oxygen in return. In other words, reforestation, therefore, constitutes an effective way to combat climate change. Not surprisingly, carbon dioxide or CO2 is one of the greenhouse gases that contributes the most to its progress.
By passive, deforestation involves an increase in greenhouse gases. Not only because many of them decompose and release a good part of the CO2 they absorbed, but also because their industrial transformation sets in motion a production chain that also multiplies pollution.
It is estimated that one fifth of greenhouse gas emissions is the result of deforestation in the Amazon, different parts of Asia and other regions.
The importance of trees in the ecosystem
In addition to deforestation caused by industry, trees are constantly threatened by agriculture and the loss of water resources.
Their disappearance leads to the reduction of habitat, which is a serious blow to biodiversity, putting many species on the ropes.
The constant loss of habitats due to deforestation It has led scientists to consider the planet a hostile environment that is heading towards the sixth mass extinction. As published in the journal Science in 2014, we are on the verge of this environmental debacle, which in turn threatens to be a full stop for the human species.
According to ecologists from Duke University, in the United States, human activity is causing species to disappear ten times faster than we thought. Or, if you like, a thousand times more than what they did in the origins of the human being, when one was not still, precisely.
Months before, NASA agreed with previous studies concluding that planetary destruction in the near future, and from time to time new research supports this same argument. In June 2015, for example, the collapse of human civilization was announced by 2100, according to a study published in Science Advances.
In short, there are many studies that speak of a mass extinction that threatens human existence, and all agree that, together with climate change, habitat loss it is one of its main causes.
Both problems associated with the constant loss of forest mass. To give us an idea, the life that bustles in arboreal ecosystems, in just one hectare of tropical forest there may be around 500 plant species and, for example, it has been found that 43 species of ants lived in a single tree .
With regard to terrestrial plants and animals, 90 percent of them find refuge in the trees or in their surroundings. And the birds need no comment on it.
Furthermore, deforestation and extinction go hand in hand, and most of the species facing increasing risk of extinction are found in areas that have also been hit hard. Again, the same picture: reduced habitat involving decapitated trees and dying animal species.
Without them, global biodiversity would plummet because, in addition to the above, they help regulate the global water cycle and prevent erosion and retain soil moisture.
The countdown …
The rate of disappearance of the trees is alarming. The annual reports presented by the UN on global deforestation do not allow us to be optimistic. Quite the contrary, the forecasts of the latest studies are apocalyptic.
If we continue with the current rate of deforestation, the consequences will be dire. According to a study recently published in the journal Nature, in about 300 years there won't be a single tree left on the face of the earth.
If you want to read more articles similar to The importance of trees for the environment, we recommend that you enter our Ecosystems category.
