Impact of air pollution on plants and animals

We have seen different aspects of air pollution in this website. In this article, we will go in-depth into the detailed study of how plants and animals are affected due to air pollution. How pollution becomes a killer was one of our topics, in which we saw how dangerous it is on humans. Here we will swiftly go through the causes of air pollution naturally and man-made, shall discuss about the major pollutants and then walk in to the impact on animals and also plants.

In the article of air pollution- a silent killer; we discussed about an aspect on pollutants entering indirectly our body through plants and animals. Hence it is very clear that air pollution is not only affecting humans, but also plants and animals. Air pollution means the contamination of the pure air that encumbers the normal consumption of air by the living beings and affect their welfare and comfort.

Essay on Impact of air pollution on plants and animals

What are the natural causes of air pollution?

Air pollution is being done naturally also. In spite of being it a surprising fact, it is a big bold truth. The society has an outlook that air pollution is only man-made which is not true. Let’s see what are the natural causes of air pollution.

These are the natural causes of air pollution.

What are the man-made causes of air pollution?

What are the main pollutants in air and how it affects

There are enormous pollutants found in air, but we are discussing about the main and dangerous pollutants found in air. (Please see “Main pollutants in ‘Air pollution: The silent Killer'”) Even though we are discussing about effects of pollutants on plants and animals, we will just put across the health issues caused to humans. This is for a comparative study to know how worse it can be on plants and animals if it so bad on human.

Effect of air pollution on plants

Plants are the foremost ones that get exposed to air pollution, which is very apparent. The leaves absorb the pollutants in the atmosphere very quickly, resulting in releasing of reactive oxygen species along with free radicals. This can damage the whole of the plant at any point of time.

The Ozone also enters the plant and cause damage. It can hinder the growth of the plants and completely decay the plant at once. It affects the respiratory aid, stomata and there by affecting growth of the plant leading to its death. Acid rain, exposure to particulate pollution, sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxides restricts the nutrients and mineral absorption of plants. When coming to the agriculture side, it will end up in reduced yield. Thus, in a way pollution affects the economical growth of the country.

The main direct effects of pollution on plants are:

Acid rain is said to be damage the nutrients in the soil, impairs the roots and stems of the plant arresting its growth and hence death of it. Acid rain affects the Ph level which cannot be tolerated by certain plants and chances are high that they extinct forever from Earth. The percentage of plant species extinction is really frightening. Around 40% of the plant species have extinct due to pollution according to the global surveys conducted. Ozone holes have a commendable role in the extinction of many plants.

Effects of air pollution on animals

We saw the effects of air pollution on plants and now let us see the effects of it on animals. The impact may not be evident when we see them but it can be easily made out with the fact study. We have seen the health issues caused to humans when exposed to air pollution. The animals also have the respiratory system and the tolerance level is different from each species.

The exposure to the air pollutants or the pollutants entering the body of animals can consequently change the behaviour of the animals. They can act weird than usual when they are affected by the pollutants. The particulate pollution, nitrogen oxide etc have proved that they change the public behavior as well as the breeding activities of animals.

The exposure to pollutants has increased the diseases in animals. The habitual exposure has paved way to the death of the whole species and there by making them extinct. A species being extinct directly affects the ecosystem and food chain system of the nature. The air pollution has affected the reproductive ability, endocrine functioning, immune system, interna organ health etc.

Thus, summing up the effects of air pollution on animals:

Birds are the most affected category among animals due to air pollution. Since they have the most efficient respiratory system than any other animal species. This is one of the reasons and the other one is they are the ones those get exposed to air pollution to the most because they fly all over the cities, industrial areas, landfills etc. unlike all other animals they don’t remain at a short area.

Disturbance to the bird community by air pollution is hefty. Inhaling of O3 and nitrogen oxides damages the lungs of the birds directly. It also affects the reproductive system resulting in the decline of its total number. Damage to the immune system, lung failure etc are the other consequences of air pollution on birds.

Conclusion
Air pollution is a monster which is powerful enough to pause the life on Earth. Animals and human depend on plants to live. Plants are considered to be the air purifier. But what happens when the plants themselves cannot survive due to air pollution. Human depend on animals too for their food. And what if they too become extinct. These are the questions raised to ourselves as well because man-made pollution is the major contributor to the air pollution rather than the natural causes. We have the obligation to cut down the proportion of pollution made to the environment. Else it is very apparent that the plants get extinct or its growth retards by the end of this century.

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