Plants



Plants, one of the three types of multicellular organism on Earth, are the dominant autotrophs on dry land and a significant portion of the autotrophic component of freshwater ecosystems. As such they are responsible for the green colour of many ecosystems due to the colour of their chlorophyll. They are largely responsible for the word "green" being associated with environmentalism and conservationism. Plants supply the energy for animal and fungal growth. Most of this supply takes the form of a detrimental loss of energy to the plant with the plant employing various strategies to defend itself from the attacks of animals and fungi. However, in many cases, especially among angiosperms, the loss is part of the strategy of the plant for either seed dispersal or pollen dispersal.

Plants also supply shelter for animals, creating new environments in which specialized species of animal and plant can interact. This is especially true of trees. Epiphytes are dependant on trees for the environment to which they are adapted, as are many arboreal species of animal.