Plants are vital to all life on Earth. They are important because plants take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produce oxygen. In addition, plants make up the base of the food web by producing their own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, and other chemicals. This is why they are known as producers or Autotrophs. Examples of autotrophs on land are trees, vines, or shrubs. Autotrophs can also be found in the upper layers of the ocean, called algae. One of the many services autotrophs provide is to protect against erosion. Erosion is when the force of water, wind, or ice wash away layers of the soil that are necessary to protect against strong weather events like thunderstorms or hurricanes. If you lived on a hill that had little or no autotrophs and it rained really hard, over time, you would be at risk for landslides because their roots hold the soil together. Luckily, there are people who study plants, called botanists or plant ecologists/ scientists, and can tell us about why plants are needed! These scientists study the biology and chemistry of plants. In other words, they study the function of plants and why plants evolved the way they did, among other things. SERC has plant ecologists that study autotrophs and their interactions with other autotrophs, animals, and other living organisms. Read more about their research here
There are actually 20 mineral elements that are essential or beneficial to plant growth.
Carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) are supplied by air and water.
The six elements are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S).
Macronutrients are required by plants in large quantities.
The remaining elements are required in trace amounts (micronutrients). Essential trace elements include boron (B), chlorine (Cl), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), sodium (Na), zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mo), and nickel (Ni). Beneficial mineral elements include silicon (Si) and cobalt (Co).
