This document discusses plants and animals as natural resources. It notes that plants and animals are important for food, materials, fuel, air quality, and as habitat. However, both face threats from habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, soil erosion, and pollution. A graph shows the increasing percentage of threatened species between 2000-2011. Plants and animals are interrelated through food chains and shared habitats, so environmental issues affect both. Their decline jeopardizes sustainability as humans rely on both for survival.

1. Presentation 1
Plants and Animals
Student Y
SCI-218 Natural Resources

2. Introduction
I chose plants and animals as my two natural resources
categories because:
• they are a huge part of everyday life for people (see slide 2
for more details).
• the work I currently do and hope to do in the future involve(s)
animal health.
• I am worried about all of the destruction that has occurred
and is occurring to habitats worldwide.

3. Plants and Animals Uses
• Plants and animals are natural resources that are very
important to humans.
• “Plants are the fabric which covers the soil. They hold the soil
in place to reduce erosion and improve water quality. Plants
provide our food, materials for shelter, fuel to warm us and
replenish the air we breathe. Plants provide food
for animals and habitat for wildlife.” (USDA 2015)
• “Animals both large and small are a critical component to our
environment. Domesticated animals, such as livestock, provide
us food, fiber and leather. Wild animals,
including birds, fish, insects and pollinators, are important to
support the web of activity in a functioning ecosystem.” (USDA
2015)

4. Plants and Animals Uses Cont.
• The use of plants and animals as a food sources has remained the
same for people over time. Since there are more people than there
ever have been the demand for both has risen over time and will
continue to raise with population growth.
United Nations Environment Programme 2012

5. How are Plants and Animals
Related?
• Both are a very important aspect in the food chain(many
animals eat plants or eat animals that eat plants)
• They share the same habitats. Environmental issues affect
both plants and animals in these habitats.
United States Department of Agriculture 2015

6. Problems both Plants an Animals
Face
• Species of plants and animals are decreasing every year due to habitat loss,
climate change, invasive species, soil erosion, and pollution.
• The decrease in animal and plants threatens sustainability since people
need both plants and animals for survival.
• The graph below shows the percent of total number of threatened species
growing significantly between 2000 and 2011.

7. Threatenedand Endangered Species
1995 in The United States

8. References
Beastly tales. (2011, June 16). Retrieved May 18, 2015, from
http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/06/endangere
d-species
Growing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Due to Meat Production. (2012,
October 1). Retrieved May 17, 2015, from
http://na.unep.net/geas/getUNEPPageWithArticleIDScript.php?article_id=
92
Ingham, E. (n.d.). Soil Food Web. Retrieved May 17, 2015, from
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/soils/health/biology
/?cid=nrcs142p2_053868
Threatened and Endangered Species 1995. (1995, April 1). Retrieved May 17, 2015,
from
http://nac.unl.edu/atlas/Map_Html/Biodiversity/National/NRI_T&E_Speci
es/T&E_Species.htm