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United States Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Service

Biocontrol FAQs for Kids

Plants Are Important

Plants are more important to life on our earth than we are

  • Almost all of the biomass (living stuff) on the earth is made up of living plants
  • If all the green plants on the earth died almost all life would also die, and only a few bacteria would remain
  • If all the humans left the earth in a spaceship, life on earth would go on (maybe even better without us!)
Pie chart with small blue wedge out of large green circle

There are more plants on earth (the green color) than us and everything else (the blue color) Wow!

Plants are beautiful to look at

  • There are over 380,000 plants we know and many more to be discovered
  • Plants cover the earth except for the very coldest and hottest areas
  • Plants range in size from very small (you need a microscope to see them) to very large like the giant Redwood trees in California
Picture of pansies

Plants are beautiful

Plants make food

  • Plants provide a large amount of the food we eat
  • Plants provide food for the animals
Picture of fruit and vegetables

Plants make oxygen for us to breathe

  • When plants trap the sun's energy and make food, they release oxygen that escapes into the air. Click here to see how? Our air is 21% oxygen and oxygen is needed by all living things
Picture of sun and clouds in blue sky

Plants replace the oxygen we breathe

Plants provide us with medicines

  • Medicines that keep our heart pumping and make our stomachs feel better come from plants
  • Antibiotics we take for ear infections and other illnesses come from plants
Picture of sick child

Plants give us medicines

Animated image of laboratory beaker

Cartoon owl reading book


Last Modified: 12/17/2009