Fiber, Wood, and Medicine

What are some examples of other benefits besides food that humans derive from plants?

Some of the most important uses of plants have nothing to do with food. Plants produce the raw materials for our homes and clothes, and some of our most powerful and effective medicines. Some examples of plant products are shown in Figure 24–24. If you're reading this page out of the printed book in your classroom, you are turning paper pages made from the conifer forests of North America, possibly sitting on a chair made from oak tree xylem, and probably wearing at least one piece of clothing made from the fibers of the cotton plant.

A photograph of some plants and their products. An aloe vera plant with its product aloe vera gel, Sitka spruce wood with its products like Pianos, guitars and violins, Cotton and its product thread.

FIGURE 24–24 Products From Plants Plants provide the raw materials for many useful products.

d

24.4 Assessment

Review Key Concepts

    1. Review Name four crops that make up the base of the world's food supply.

    2. Relate Cause and Effect Describe how selective breeding was used to develop corn from an ancestral grass that looked very different.

    1. Review Besides food, what other important products are developed from plants?

    2. Infer What effect could plant species extinction have on therapeutic drug development?

ANALYZING DATA

Use the line graph from Figure 24–22 to answer the questions below.

  1. Calculate By about how much did the amount of corn produced per acre of farmland increase between 1985 and 2005?

  2. Interpret Graphs How would you describe the overall trend in the data?

  3. Predict What factors do you think might influence corn production in the next decade?

End ofPage 718

Table of Contents

Miller & Levine Biology
About the Authors
Changing the World of Biology Education
Contents
Diversity of Life: A Visual Guide DOL•1–DOL•64
Labs and Activities
Features
UNIT 1 The Nature of Life
1 The Science of Biology
2 The Chemistry of Life
Unit Project
UNIT 2 Ecology
3 The Biosphere
4 Ecosystems and Communities
5 Populations
6 Humans in the Biosphere
Unit Project
UNIT 3 Cells
7 Cell Structure and Function
8 Photosynthesis
9 Cellular Respiration and Fermentation
10 Cell Growth and Division
Unit Project
UNIT 4 Genetics
11 Introduction to Genetics
12 DNA
13 RNA and Protein Synthesis
14 Human Heredity
15 Genetic Engineering
Unit Project
UNIT 5 Evolution
16 Darwin's Theory of Evolution
17 Evolution of Populations
18 Classification
19 History of Life
Unit Project
UNIT 6 From Microorganisms to Plants
20 Viruses and Prokaryotes
21 Protists and Fungi
22 Introduction to Plants
23 Plant Structure and Function
24 Plant Reproduction and Response
Unit Project
UNIT 7 Animals
25 Introduction to Animals
26 Animal Evolution and Diversity
27 Animal Systems I
28 Animal Systems II
29 Animal Behavior
Unit Project
UNIT 8 The Human Body
30 Digestive and Excretory Systems
31 Nervous System
32 Skeletal, Muscular, and Integumentary Systems
33 Circulatory and Respiratory Systems
34 Endocrine and Reproductive Systems
35 Immune System and Disease
Unit Project
A Visual Guide to The Diversity of Life
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
THE TREE OF LIFE
Bacteria
Protists
Fungi
Plants
Animals
Appendices
Appendix A Science Skills
Appendix B Lab Skills
Appendix C Technology & Design
Appendix D Math Skills
Appendix E Periodic Table
Glossary
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q, R
S
T
U
V
W
X, Y, Z
Index
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Credits
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