How Air Pollution Affects Plants and Animals
The earth is inhabited by millions of species within the plant and animal worlds. All co-exist and live alongside human beings. Anything in nature that affects humans also affects the plants and animals in equal, and sometimes in more advanced ways, positively or negatively. One such thing that at present is posing a negative and seriously damaging influence on the flora and fauna across the world is Air Pollution or very poor Air Quality Index (AQI).
While human beings have evolved technologies, air travel, industrial processes, waste disposal methods and other infrastructural activities; these have steadily deteriorated air quality to unmanageable levels. While human beings are themselves responsible for the health and other damages due to this, the plants and animals are bearing the brunt of air pollution for no fault of their own. Some are also on the brink of extinction due to this. It is a well known fact that if plant and animal species keep vanishing from the face of the earth, the time is not far when human race’s survival will be threatened too. Thus it is pertinent to understand how air pollution affects plants and animals and to take remedial measures for the same.
Air pollution shifts the cycle of the seasons due to increased temperatures and hence the photo sensitive and temperature sensitive processes in them do not happen on the same times in the year as they had been happening for millions of years previously. This has shown its ill effects by way of delayed and poor quality crops, failed harvests, crops that are more susceptible to infections and infestations by weeds and pests; and mutations in the seed pool. The photosynthesis stomata on the leave also do not open and close in time, which leads to imbalanced absorption and release of moisture content, thus seriously affecting the overall foliage. These are the findings given in the report* released by the UCAR Centre for Science Education. It says that between 1980 and 2011 nine billion dollars worth of corn and soyabean was lost in the US. Similar amounts of damage is reported in poor countries too, who suffer badly due to already limited resources at hand. Other effects of air pollution is causing holes to appear in the atmospheric ozone layer that helps the harmful rays of the sun to reach the plants. The suspended ozone layer is also responsible for photosynthesis to be disrupted. Air pollution reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches the earth’s surface, and adds more nitrogen in the soil. In excess amounts nitrogen stunts the growth of some plants, especially grasslands that are traditional grazing spaces for the livestock.
These effects on the plants are also seen on animals. The air pollution directly affects the habitats of animals with reduced vegetation, lack of fruiting and flowering trees, and drop in water levels. The disturbed atmospheric cycles disrupt the migratory patterns of birds, bees and butterflies. Melting ice covers due to severe air pollution and consequent rising temperatures are showing shrinking hunting grounds for polar bears, penguins and sea lions, species that once thrived in large numbers bit are now listed among the endangered species. A study** by the Government of Canada outlines the effects of air pollution on wild animals. It talks about the acid rains, heavy metals and the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) as being responsible for large scale harm to wild animal populations. This includes toxic water sources that kill fish, make animals unwell, cause endocrine disfunction and organ injury, and cause reproductive issues in them. Their food sources get depleted as fruits do not grow in sufficient quantities and disrupted migrations of wilder beasts, zebras and buffaloes means parts of the the lions and related species and crocodiles populations die due to hunger. In Africa this has become alarming due to constant droughts, and migratory pattern changes.
The domestic animals also get affected with bad water and fodder quality, loss of plants that they depend on for fodder, increased burden for ploughing arid lands and lack of air pollution remedial measures reaching rural hamlets in countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Phillipines and Malaysia. The nomadic tribes who depend only on the welfare of their animals have reported a sharp decline in the numbers of off-springs that are born each subsequent year, thus endangering the numbers of lamas, mountain sheep and some deer. The above are facts that are worrying enough for us to wake up to the need of saving our plant and animal co-inhabitors on this earth. By tackling air pollution on a war footing we can save the species of plants and animals that may be lost forever in a couple of decades if not earlier. This can be achieved only with cooperation of the governments, citizens, judiciary, on ground civil society agencies, NGOs, animals rights activists and the media. As yound crusaders and champions of environmental sustainability, students can contribute by writing opinion pieces, blogs, and articles to raise awareness about this issue. They can also start podcasts, vlogs, hold information sessions and make signature appeals to governments and international bodies. Saving our plants and animals is everyone’s responsibility, and we should make concerted efforts in this direction.
While human beings have evolved technologies, air travel, industrial processes, waste disposal methods and other infrastructural activities; these have steadily deteriorated air quality to unmanageable levels. While human beings are themselves responsible for the health and other damages due to this, the plants and animals are bearing the brunt of air pollution for no fault of their own. Some are also on the brink of extinction due to this. It is a well known fact that if plant and animal species keep vanishing from the face of the earth, the time is not far when human race’s survival will be threatened too. Thus it is pertinent to understand how air pollution affects plants and animals and to take remedial measures for the same.
Air pollution shifts the cycle of the seasons due to increased temperatures and hence the photo sensitive and temperature sensitive processes in them do not happen on the same times in the year as they had been happening for millions of years previously. This has shown its ill effects by way of delayed and poor quality crops, failed harvests, crops that are more susceptible to infections and infestations by weeds and pests; and mutations in the seed pool. The photosynthesis stomata on the leave also do not open and close in time, which leads to imbalanced absorption and release of moisture content, thus seriously affecting the overall foliage. These are the findings given in the report* released by the UCAR Centre for Science Education. It says that between 1980 and 2011 nine billion dollars worth of corn and soyabean was lost in the US. Similar amounts of damage is reported in poor countries too, who suffer badly due to already limited resources at hand. Other effects of air pollution is causing holes to appear in the atmospheric ozone layer that helps the harmful rays of the sun to reach the plants. The suspended ozone layer is also responsible for photosynthesis to be disrupted. Air pollution reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches the earth’s surface, and adds more nitrogen in the soil. In excess amounts nitrogen stunts the growth of some plants, especially grasslands that are traditional grazing spaces for the livestock.
These effects on the plants are also seen on animals. The air pollution directly affects the habitats of animals with reduced vegetation, lack of fruiting and flowering trees, and drop in water levels. The disturbed atmospheric cycles disrupt the migratory patterns of birds, bees and butterflies. Melting ice covers due to severe air pollution and consequent rising temperatures are showing shrinking hunting grounds for polar bears, penguins and sea lions, species that once thrived in large numbers bit are now listed among the endangered species. A study** by the Government of Canada outlines the effects of air pollution on wild animals. It talks about the acid rains, heavy metals and the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) as being responsible for large scale harm to wild animal populations. This includes toxic water sources that kill fish, make animals unwell, cause endocrine disfunction and organ injury, and cause reproductive issues in them. Their food sources get depleted as fruits do not grow in sufficient quantities and disrupted migrations of wilder beasts, zebras and buffaloes means parts of the the lions and related species and crocodiles populations die due to hunger. In Africa this has become alarming due to constant droughts, and migratory pattern changes.
The domestic animals also get affected with bad water and fodder quality, loss of plants that they depend on for fodder, increased burden for ploughing arid lands and lack of air pollution remedial measures reaching rural hamlets in countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Phillipines and Malaysia. The nomadic tribes who depend only on the welfare of their animals have reported a sharp decline in the numbers of off-springs that are born each subsequent year, thus endangering the numbers of lamas, mountain sheep and some deer. The above are facts that are worrying enough for us to wake up to the need of saving our plant and animal co-inhabitors on this earth. By tackling air pollution on a war footing we can save the species of plants and animals that may be lost forever in a couple of decades if not earlier. This can be achieved only with cooperation of the governments, citizens, judiciary, on ground civil society agencies, NGOs, animals rights activists and the media. As yound crusaders and champions of environmental sustainability, students can contribute by writing opinion pieces, blogs, and articles to raise awareness about this issue. They can also start podcasts, vlogs, hold information sessions and make signature appeals to governments and international bodies. Saving our plants and animals is everyone’s responsibility, and we should make concerted efforts in this direction.
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