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Name: Candace M.
Status: student
Age: 13
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 9/22/2004
Question:
Is the giant sequoia the worlds largest oxygen producer?

Replies:
Possibly helpful. The answer would depend upon whether one is looking for oxygen produced per individual plant, or O2 produced per unit leaf area so that the types of plants could be compared on an relative basis, or O2 produced per individual over lifetime of organism?, etc. Many smaller plants have high photosynthetic rates including algae and seaweeds, also grasses and bamboos, etc.

http://www.the-tree.org.uk/MessageBoard/thread.php?id=108

Anthony Brach Ph.D.

Dear Candace,

If you mean the largest organism that produces oxygen, the sequoia would be it. Some people consider a large forest of quaking aspen that came from a single tree and where all of the trees are connected through the roots to be the largest organism.

Jim Tokuhisa


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