Priestley and ecology

Priestley made a major contribution to our understanding of the interdependence of plant and animal life. He discovered the process we now term photosynthesis by which plants take carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen.

Animals, including of course humans, take oxygen from the air and release carbon dioxide.

You can find reference to Priestley's work, and guidelines for experiments to demonstrate his findings, in Exploring the Nature of Science by Joan Solomon, ISBN 0 86357 188 3, published by the Association for Science Education.

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