2. Natural Resources
• Natural resources are matter and energy resources that are
provided by nature and are essential or useful to humans.
(Myers & Spoolman, 2014)
• Two important natural resources are plants and animals
• Provide ecosystem services
Figure 1
(Natural Resources, 2014)
3. Plants
• Known as Producers
• Produce their own food
through photosynthesis.
• Are an essential natural resource
• Plants provide our food, materials for shelter, fuel to warm us, and
replenish the air we breathe (NRCS, 2015)
Figure 2 (Wilson, 2006)
4. Animals
• Known as consumers
• Cannot produce their own food must obtain it by feeding on other
organisms.
• Provide us with many different resources
• Domesticated animals, such as livestock,
provide us food, fiber and leather.
(NRCS, 2015)
• Wild animals, including birds, fish,
insects and pollinators, are important
to support the web of activity in a
functioning ecosystem. (NRCS, 2015)
Figure 3 (NRCS, 2015)
Figure 4 (Ecosystem, 2012)
5. Comparison of Plants and
Animal Use in the Past
• Animals Vs. Plants
• From the year
1970 to 1990 the
US consumed
about double the
amount of meats
compared to fruits
and vegetables.
Figure 5 (WEMC, 1993)
6. Comparison of Plant andAnimal
Use in the Present
• Meat Consumption has
presently declined
• Fallen 10%
• More Poultry being
consumed than red meat
Figure 7 (Dr. Barnard, 2013)
• Vegetable and Fruit
Consumption has presently
increased
• Increased to over 600 pounds
consumed (Cook, 2011)
• Plants are starting to be used
more and more for biodiesel
Figure 6 (Biofuels Overview, 2012)
7. Comparison of Plant andAnimal
Use in the Future
Figure 8 (Dolmage, 2014)
• More Plants Less Animals
• At the current rate and
gaining knowledge it is
likely that animals will
be used less by humans
and plants used more
• Biodiesel Use Will Increase
• Due to its clean emissions profile, ease of use, and many other benefits,
biodiesel is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing alternative fuels
in the world (Pacific Biodiesel, 2015).
8. Interrelation
• Work together within ecosystems
• Plants give off oxygen for animals
and humans
• Bees pollinate plants
• Plants can provide animals with
shelter
• Plants can provide animals with food
• Animals can spread plant seeds
• If no interaction took place we would
be without many resources that both
plants and animals provide us
Figure 10 (Herbivory and Pollination, 2011)
Figure 9 (Breitbach, Böhning-Gaese,
Laube, Schleuning,2012)
9. References
• Biofuels Overview. (2012). Retrieved May 22, 2015, from
• Breitbach, N., Böhning-Gaese, K., Laube, I., Schleuning, M. (2012),
Short seed-dispersal distances and low seedling recruitment in
farmland populations of bird-dispersed cherry trees. Journal of
Ecology, 100: 1349–1358. doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.12001
• http://www.c2es.org/technology/overview/biofuels
• Cook, R. (2011, October 1). Tracking Demographics and U.S. Fruit
and Vegetable Consumption Patterns. Retrieved May 22, 2015, from
http://ucanr.edu/datastoreFiles/234-2795.pdf
• Dolmage, J. (2014, October 8). If We Ate Less Meat, This Is What
Would Happen to the Planet. Retrieved May 22, 2015, from
http://cdn.onegreenplanet.org/wp-
content/uploads/2010/10//2014/10/Takeaway1.jpg
• Dr. Barnard, N. (2013). You're in Good Company with a Vegan
Thanksgiving. Retrieved May 22, 2015, from
http://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/index.php/2013/11/
10. References Continued
• Ecosystem. (2012). Retrieved May 22, 2015, from
http://pixshark.com/desert-ecosystem-diagram.htm
• Herbivory and Pollination - Boundless Open Textbook. (2011). Retrieved
May 22, 2015, from
https://www.boundless.com/biology/textbooks/boundless-biology-
textbook/seed-plants-26/the-role-of-seed-plants-161/herbivory-and-
pollination-628-11849/
• History of Biodiesel Fuel - Pacific Biodiesel. (2015). Retrieved May 22,
2015, from http://www.biodiesel.com/biodiesel/history/
• Myers, N., & Spoolman, S. (2014). Environmental issues & solutions: A
modular approach. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
• Natural Resources Conservation Service. (2015). Retrieved May 22,
2015, from
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/plantsanimals/
• Natural Resources Conservation Service. (2015). Retrieved May 22,
2015, from
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/landuse/rangepa
sture/pasture/
• Plants and Animals in the Environment. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2015,
from http://www.kean.edu/~fosborne/resources/ex12f.htm
11. References Continued
• WEMC - Changing Meat Industry (part 2). (1993). Retrieved May
22, 2015, from
https://ag.arizona.edu/arec/wemc/papers/ChangeMeat/3_ChangingM
eatInd.html
• Where else can ENERGY come from?...Natural Resources. (2014,
October 20). Retrieved May 22, 2015, from
https://2020isthebestatscience.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/where-
else-can-energy-come-from-natural-resources/
• Wilson, Tracy V.. "How the Earth Works" 21 April 2006.
HowStuffWorks.com.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/ea
rth.htm 21 May 2015.
