Question

Forests and animals are interdependent on each other. Justify.

Answer 1

Forests:

1. Forests are areas of land which are dominated by the growth of trees.

Interdependency of forests and animals:

1. Nutritional dependence:
   1. Plants consume dead and decayed material from the soil for their nourishment and are in turn are consumed by plant-eating animals for their survival.
   2. The carnivores then consume the lower animals of the food chain for their nutrition and survival.
   3. When living organisms die, they decompose and form humus, which makes the soil very fertile for plants. In this way cycle continues.
2. Pollination:
   1. Apart from food dependence, there exists a reproductive dependence between plants and animals.
   2. An example demonstrating this is: Pollination helps certain kinds of plants to reproduce. The bees also obtain the nectar of flowers as their nourishment, thereby establishing a symbiotic relationship within each other.
3. Seed dispersal:
   1. Apart from pollination, different animals help in plant reproduction by acting as carriers of seeds.
   2. For the survival of plants, it is important that the saplings grow over an ample amount of area. This is because many plants growing in the same region do not get sufficient amount of water, sunlight and nutrients.
4. Oxygen and carbon-dioxide cycling:
   1. One of the features of plants that is of utmost importance to animals is the production of oxygen.
   2. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen in the process of photosynthesis.
   3. Not only is this beneficial to the animals living in the forests but it is also beneficial to animals all around the planet.
   4. Animals in turn absorb oxygen and respire carbon dioxide, which is again taken up by plants.