Introduction
Pollution has been around since Ancient Rome and is described as the contamination of our natural environment that is caused by chemicals and gas (Stromberg). Because of pollution in the air, more damaging consequences such as the formation of acid rain are triggered. The largest contributors to pollution are humans through industrial factories that expel foreign chemicals into the atmosphere and cause the formation of acid rain. This topic was chosen to explore the effect of man-made acid rain as a result of pollution in the air on plants, human health, and much more. The effect of pH on oxygen (O2) consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) production is worthy of investigation because human-caused acid rain is at large at many countries and may give clarity to other events that acid rain triggers.

In 2005, over 250 cities in China were struck with acid rain and caused the economic loss of billions of yuan (“GEOCASES: Case Study”). Because of this, the pH value of rain in China became less than 5.0, which is considered acidic (“GEOCASES: Case Study”). This acid rain was blamed on the discharge of SO2 from power plants and coal factories and not only caused China economic problems, but also detrimental effects on vegetation and plants. The connection between acid rain and damaged vegetation has led us to wonder: How do the pH levels of 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 affect the rate in which O2 is consumed and CO2 is produced during germination and cellular respiration in broad