Botany

:For other meanings, see Botany (disambiguation)

Scope and motivation of botany

As with other life forms in biology, plant life can be studied at a variety of levels, from the molecular, genetic and biochemical level through organelles, cells, tissues, organs, individuals, plant populations, and communities of plants. At each of these levels a botanist might be concerned with the classification (taxonomy), structure (anatomy), or function (physiology) of plant life.

Related Topics:
Molecular - Genetic - Biochemical - Organelle - Cells - Tissues - Organ - Population - Communities - Taxonomy - Anatomy - Physiology

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Historically, botanists studied all organisms that were not generally regarded as animal. Some of these "plant-like" organisms include: fungi (studied in mycology); bacteria and viruses (studied in microbiology); and algae (studied in phycology). Most algae, fungi, and microbes are no longer considered to be in the plant kingdom. However, attention is still given to them by botanists; and bacteria, fungi, and algae are usually covered, somewhat superficially, in introductory botany courses.

Related Topics:
Animal - Fungi - Mycology - Bacteria - Viruses - Microbiology - Algae - Phycology

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So why study plants? Plants are an utterly fundamental part of life on earth. They generate the oxygen, food, fibres, fuel and medicine that allow higher life forms to exist. While doing all this, plants also absorb carbon dioxide, an important greenhouse gas, through photosynthesis. A good understanding of plants is crucial to the future of human societies as it allows us to:

Related Topics:
Oxygen - Food - Fibre - Carbon dioxide - Greenhouse gas - Photosynthesis

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• Feed the world
• Understand fundamental life processes
• Utilise medicine and materials
• Understand environmental changes

Feed the world

Virtually all of the food we eat comes from plants, either directly from staple foods and other fruit and vegetables, or indirectly through livestock, which rely on plants for fodder. In other words, plants are at the base of nearly all food chains, or what ecologists call the first trophic level. Understanding how plants produce the food we eat is therefore important to be able to feed the world and provide food security for future generations, for example through plant breeding. Not all plants are beneficial to humans, weeds are a considerable problem in agriculture and botany provides some of the basic science in order to understand how to minimise their impact. Ethnobotany is the study of this and other relationships between plants and people.

Related Topics:
Staple food - Fruit - Vegetables - Livestock - Fodder - Food chain - Trophic level - Food security - Plant breeding - Weeds - Agriculture - Ethnobotany

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Understand fundamental life processes

Plants are convenient organisms in which fundamental life processes (like cell division and protein synthesis for example) can be studied, without the ethical dilemmas of studying animals or humans. The genetic laws of inheritance were discovered in this way by Gregor Mendel who was studying the way pea shape is inherited. What Mendel learnt from studying plants has had far reaching benefits outside of botany. Additionally, Barbara McClintock discovered 'jumping genes' by studying maize. These are a few examples that demonstrate how botanical research has an ongoing relevance to the understanding of fundamental biological processes.

Related Topics:
Cell division - Protein synthesis - Genetic laws of inheritance - Gregor Mendel - Pea - Barbara McClintock - Jumping genes - Maize

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Utilise medicine and materials

Many of our medicinal and recreational drugs, like cannabis, caffeine and nicotine come directly from the plant kingdom. Aspirin, which originally came from the bark of willow trees, is just one example. There may be many novel cures for diseases provided by plants, waiting to be discovered. Popular stimulants like coffee, chocolate, tobacco and tea also come from plants. Most alcoholic beverages, come from fermenting plants such as hops and grapes.

Related Topics:
Medicinal - Recreational drugs - Cannabis - Caffeine - Nicotine - Aspirin - Bark - Willow - Novel cures for diseases - Stimulant - Coffee - Chocolate - Tobacco - Tea - Alcoholic beverages - Fermenting - Hops - Grapes

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Plants also provide us with many natural materials: cotton, wood, paper, linen, vegetable oils, some types of rope and rubber are just a few examples that we often take for granted. The production of silk would not be possible without the cultivation of the mulberry plant. Sugarcane and other plants have recently been put to use as sources of biofuels which are important alternatives to fossil fuels.

Related Topics:
Cotton - Wood - Paper - Linen - Vegetable oil - Rope - Rubber - Silk - Mulberry - Sugarcane - Biofuel - Fossil fuel

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These are just a handful of examples showing how plant life provides humanity with important medicine and materials.

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Understand environmental changes

Plants can also help us understand changes in on our environment in many ways.

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• Understanding habitat destruction and species extinction is dependent on an accurate and complete catalogue of plants provided systematics and taxonomy.
• Plant responses to ultraviolet radiation can help us monitor problems like the holes in the ozone layer.
• Analysing pollen deposited by plants thousands or millions of years ago can help scientists to reconstruct past climates and predict future ones, an essential part of climate change research.
• Recording and analysing the timing of plant life cycles is an important part of phenology used in climate change research.
• Lichens, which are sensitive to atmospheric conditions, have been extenisvely used as pollution indicators

So in many different ways, plants can act a bit like the 'miners canary', an early warning system alerting us to important changes in our environment. In addition to these practical and scientific reasons, plants are extremely valuable as recreation for millions of people who enjoy gardening, horticultural and culinary uses of plants everyday. Botanists also argue that botany is fascinating and rewarding topic of study in its own right.

Related Topics:
Miners canary - Plants are extremely valuable as recreation - Gardening - Horticultural - Culinary

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