Oxygen is an essential gas for the survival of most living beings on our planet. It is necessary for cellular respiration to occur, a process responsible for releasing the energy necessary for the cell to carry out its vital activities.
The oxygen present in the atmosphere, in almost its entirety, is available to living beings thanks to photosynthetic organisms, which, in the process of photosynthesis, release it as a product. Among the main photosynthetic organisms, we can mention plants and algae.
→ Oxygen production by algae and trees
Due to the large amount of forests and forests on our planet, many people believe that trees are largely responsible for the production of oxygen. It was common in the past, for example, to hear people saying that the Amazon it was the great lung of the world.
However, when we analyze the amount of oxygen produced by forests, we must remember that trees also breathe and, consequently, they use oxygen, releasing carbon dioxide during the process. Also, in the decomposition process, a lot of carbon dioxide is released.
Much of the oxygen produced by trees is consumed by them
At seaweed, which form the basis of the vast majority of aquatic trophic chains, are considered by many authors to be the great stars when we talk about oxygen production. They are responsible for the largest portion of oxygen released into the atmosphere, since many species produce much more than they really need.
In addition to the great oxygen production by algae, they occupy a much larger area than trees. Much of the planet is covered with water and, in these environments, photosynthetic microscopic algae that produce oxygen are normally found.
→ The action of man and the production of oxygen
Climate change is a sad reality in today's world. Unfortunately, temperature variations directly affect living things, such as algae. Changes in temperature affect the life cycle of these organisms, compromising their proliferation and even leading some species to extinction, which can alter the planet's oxygen production.
In addition to climate change, deforestation is another serious problem that affects photosynthetic organisms. Large areas of forests are annually devastated around the world, destroying habitat, decreasing biodiversity and increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide as a result of decomposition.
Man must be increasingly aware of his actions, since our actions usually cause negative impacts in the environment. If we do not have sustainable development, respecting the limits of nature, we will probably leave a catastrophic scenario for the next generation.
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