Just like we need to breathe to survive, plants also need to breathe. But unlike us, they do not have any specialized organ to breathe, so they respire through their stomata and lenticels.
Plants also need food to survive, but they cannot eat like us, so they transpire their food through photosynthesis. But What do plants release into the air? Well, during photosynthesis, plants undergo some gaseous exchanges where they release oxygen, carbon-di-oxide, and water vapor.
We’ll learn more about them below.
What Are the 3 things plants release into the air?
In order to breathe, the plants need to collect some energy to sustain themselves. The same goes for the transpiration process. For breathing and sustaining, they release oxygen into the air and collect CO2. For transpiration, they release their body water as water vapor in the air.
Let’s dig deeper and know how plants release these elements into the air.
Oxygen
Oxygen is used as a byproduct of plants during photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process through which plants produce their food. Plants collect energy from sunlight, CO2 from the atmosphere, and water from the land to make sugar molecules.
But before intaking the sugar, they need to break it down just like we do to digest the carbohydrates we intake. To break the sugar molecules, plants need oxygen. Plants use the amount of oxygen needed to break down the carbohydrate and release the rest into the environment.
Oxygen is considered a byproduct or waste product of the plants. Even when the plants do not get sunlight to produce their food, they can break down the stored sugar molecule using oxygen.
Plants also release oxygen during the process of respiration. This process occurs in the roots, stems, and leaves of the plants. It is a continuous process like breathing. The plants use their stomata to release oxygen and lenticel to intake the CO2 in the atmosphere, which they again release during photosynthesis.
CO2
Although plants intake co2 during the process of respiration, it releases much of it during photosynthesis. Now, you might think that if co2 is needed to produce food during the photosynthesis process, why do they release a significant portion of it back into the atmosphere.
During the nighttime, plants cannot perform photosynthesis due to the absence of sunlight. But, they need to balance their metabolism, so they need to absorb some amount of oxygen and release co2. This is how plants release co2 into the air.
The balance for respiration is needed during night time because during photosynthesis significant amount of oxygen is taken, but co2 remains less.
During respiration the energy is released to sustain and breathe; co2 is needed which does not seem to work during the night times. That is why co2 is released in a huge amount during nighttime than during the day
Water Vapor
Plants are also required to excrete like any other living organism. The process for plants to excrete is called transpiration. During transpiration, plants release water in the form of vapour.
Sometimes, you will see droplets of water dripping from the plants on their own. This is the result of plants releasing water vapor into the air. The process of transpiration cools down the plants when the weather is too hot for them. Unwanted water is released, mainly from the aerial parts of the plants, through transpiration.
Sometimes due to the weather being dry, the plants undergo dehydration. At this time, the plants stop the transpiration in order to stop the water vapour from releasing in the air.
How These Releases Affect The Environment
The release of these three gases affects the environment greatly. Firstly, all living organism survives through breathing through the exchange of gases. We need oxygen to live and breathe, which we get from the plants. Again the co2 we release in the air is needed by the plants to respire and sustain. A chain of dependency is created due to this exchange of gases. Also, a certain portion of heat is released with respiration which helps us animals keep warm and maintain our internal temperature.
Another way of affecting the environment is the formation of the ozone layer of the earth. The oxygen produced from photosynthesis forms the ozone layer of the earth, which protects us from the harmful UV rays of the sun. The oxygen released from this process also increases the amount of oxygen in the air.
Whenever plants release water vapour in the air to cool themselves down, they also cool the air in the atmosphere. The water vapor also provides us with cool air during the hot weather. It also balances the humidity of the air and keeps a balanced environment or weather for us to live.
Should You Get a Plant in Your Bedroom
Keeping plants in your bedroom will not only help you purify the air inside your home but also work as a nice decoration for your room. Plants help you breathe properly, protect you from harmful rays of the sunlight and also cool down the air. So, consider keeping plants in your house.
Some people think that having plants might increase the amount of co2, which can be poisonous to some extent to your house. But this is not true. It is just an old myth which people loved to believe. Having plants around your house would also lift up your mind as you look up to them. You will also get some positive energy through them.
Conclusion
Plants are really important for the whole earth and its living beings to sustain. The gases plants release into the environment help maintain an entire ecosystem and helps us living beings live peacefully.
Any disruption in how the plants live and sustain themselves can cause disruption to our livelihood and also the environment. Although plants are small organisms to exist, it maintains the whole ecosystem for us. So, a little care in preserving their lives would also mean preserving our lives as well.