What is Botany? Botany is the scientific study of plants. "Plants," to most people, means a wide range of living organisms from the smallest bacteria to the largest living things - the giant sequoia trees. By this definition plants include: algae, fungi, lichens, mosses, ferns, conifers and flowering plants. Today scientists believe bacteria, algae and fungi are in their own distinct kingdoms, but most general botany courses, and most Botany Departments at colleges and universities, still teach about these groups. Because the field is so broad, there are many kinds of plant biologists and many different opportunities available. Botanists interested in ecology study interactions of plants with other organisms and the environment. Other field botanists search to find new species or do experiments to discover how plants grow under different conditions. Some botanists study the structure of plants. They may work in the field, concentrating on the pattern of the whole plant. Others use microscopes to study the most detailed fine structure of individual cells. Many botanists do experiments to determine how plants convert simple chemical compounds into more complex chemicals. They may even study how genetic information in DNA controls plant development. Botanists study processes that occur on a time scale ranging from fractions of a second in individual cells to those that unfold over eons of evolutionary time. The results of botanical research increase and improve our supply of medicines, foods, fibers, building materials, and other plant products. Conservationists use botanical knowledge to help manage parks, forests, range lands, and wilderness areas. Public health and environmental protection professionals depend on their understanding of plant science to help solve pollution problems.
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What is Botany?
Botany is the scientific study of plants. "Plants," to most people, means a wide range of living organisms from the smallest bacteria to the largest living things - the giant sequoia trees. By this definition plants include: algae, fungi, lichens, mosses, ferns, conifers and flowering plants. Today scientists believe bacteria, algae and fungi are in their own distinct kingdoms, but most general botany courses, and most Botany Departments at colleges and universities, still teach about these groups.
Because the field is so broad, there are many kinds of plant biologists and many different opportunities available. Botanists interested in ecology study interactions of plants with other organisms and the environment. Other field botanists search to find new species or do experiments to discover how plants grow under different conditions. Some botanists study the structure of plants. They may work in the field, concentrating on the pattern of the whole plant. Others use microscopes to study the most detailed fine structure of individual cells. Many botanists do experiments to determine how plants convert simple chemical compounds into more complex chemicals. They may even study how genetic information in DNA controls plant development. Botanists study processes that occur on a time scale ranging from fractions of a second in individual cells to those that unfold over eons of evolutionary time.
The results of botanical research increase and improve our supply of medicines, foods, fibers, building materials, and other plant products. Conservationists use botanical knowledge to help manage parks, forests, range lands, and wilderness areas. Public health and environmental protection professionals depend on their understanding of plant science to help solve pollution problems.
Areas of Specialization in Botany
Plant Anatomy
The study of plant cells and tissue.
Biophysics
The study of the application of physics to plant life processes.
Cytology
The study of the structure, function, and life history of plant cells.
Ecology
The study of the relationships between plants and the world in which they live, both individually and in communities.
Ethnobotany
The study of the uses of plants by indigenous peoples.
Genetics
The study of plant heredity and variation. Plant geneticists analyze genes and gene function in plants.
Microbiology
about microorganisms. Microbiologists may be specialized by organism (ex, microbiologists that study bacteria) of by a branch of biology (ex, Microbial Ecology).
Molecular Biology
The study of the structure and function of biological macromolecules in plants, including biochemical and molecular aspects of genetics.
Morphology
The study of macroscopic plant form and life cycles. Morphologists also study the evolution and development of leaves, roots and stems.
Paleobotany
The study of the biology and evolution of fossil plants.
Palyology
The study of pollen and spores.
PhysiologyStudy of the functions and vital processes of plants. Photosynthesis and mineral nutrition are two examples of subjects studied by plant physiologists.
Phytochemistry
The study of the chemical aspects of plant life processes, iincluding the chemical products of plants (biochemistry).
Systematics
The study of the evolutionary history and relationships among plants. This includes the classification and naming of plants.
Systems Ecology
The use of mathematical models to demonstrate the role and use of plants as components of the ecosystem (i.e. concepts like nutrient cycling).
Taxonomy
The subdiscipline of identifying, naming, and classifying plants.
Organismal Specialization in Botany
BryologyThe study of mosses, liverworts and similar plants (Kingdom Plantea - Division Bryophyta with ~25,000 species). Consisting mainly of small plants restricted to moist enviroments the bryophytes are the second largest groupings of land plants. Bryologists study all aspects of these plants, including their identification, classification, and ecology.
Lichenology
The study of the biology of lichens (with ~18,000 species). Lichens are dual organisms consiting of an alga (phycobiont) and a fungus (mycobiont) in a mutualistic relationship.
MycologyThe study of the biology of fungi (two Kingdoms, Kingdom Protista - (Divisions Myxomycota and Oomycota) and Kingdom Fungi - (Divisions Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota and Zygomycota) with over 75,000 species). Fungi have a tremendous impact on our world. They are crucial in the biosphere because they help recycle dead organic material. Some fungi are important producers of biological products such as vitamins and antibiotics.
PhycologyThe study of algae (2 Kin gdoms, Kingdom Eubacteria - (Division Cyanobacteria) and Kingdom Protisa - (Divisions Chlorophyta, Chrysophyta, Euglenophyta, Phaeophyta, Pyrrophyta and Rodophyta) with ~26,000 species), which are the base of the food chain in the aquatic environments of the world. These oranisms are believed to be responsible for over half of the photosynthetic carbon fixation on our planet! Phycologists that study algae in oceans are sometimes called Marine Botanists.
Pteridology
The study of ferns and similar plants (Kingdom Plantea - (Divisions Psilophyta, Lycophyta, Schenophyta and Pterophyta) with ~12,000 species). Pteridologists study all aspects of fem biology.
Applied Botanical/Plant Sciences
AgronomyCrop and soil sciences. Agronomists make practical use of plant and soil sciences to increase the yield of field crops.
Plant BreedingThe development of better types of plants. Breeding involves selecting and crossing plants with desirable traits such as disease resistance.
Economic BotanyThe study of the utilization of plants by humans. The study of plants with commercial importance. Economic botany includes the study of botany harmful and beneficial plants and plant products.
HorticultureThe production of ornamental plants and fruit and vegetable crops. Landscape design is also an important subdiscipline in horticulture.
Food Science & TechnologyThe development of food from vanous plant products.
ForestryThe study of forest management and the utilization of forest products.
Plant PathologyThe study of the diseases of plants. Plant pathologists are concerned with both the biological aspects of disease and with disease management, or control.
Natural Resource ManagementThe responsible use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of society.
BiotechnologyThe study and manipulation of genes within and between species. Using biological organisms to produce useful products. Most people today have a narrower view of biotechnology as the genetic modification of living organisms to produce useful products. Plant biotechnology involves inserting desirable genes into plants and having those genes expressed.
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