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Botany is the scientific study of plants. As a branch of biology, it is also sometimes referred to as plant science(s) or plant biology. Botany covers a wide range of scientific disciplines that study the growth, reproduction, metabolism, development, diseases, and evolution of plant life.
1 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 to organelles, cells, tissuesBiological tissue is a group of cells that perform a similar function. The study of tissues is known as histology, or, in connection with disease, histopathology. The classical tools for studying the tissues are the wax block, the tissue stain, and the op, organIn biology, an organ is a group of tissues which perform some function. Common animal organs include the heart, lungs, brain, eye, stomach, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, liver, intestines, skin, uterus, bladder, bone, etc. Common plant organs include the stas and the biodiversityBiodiversity or biological diversity is a neologism and a portmanteau word, from bio and diversity. It is the diversity of and in living nature. Diversity, at its heart, implies the number of different kinds of objects, such as species. However, defining of whole plants. At the top end of this scale, plants can be studied in populations, communities and ecosystems (as in ecologyEcology is the branch of science that studies the distribution and abundance of living organisms, and the interactions between organisms and their environment. The environment of an organism includes both its physical habitat, which can be described as th). At each of these levels a botanist might be concerned with the classification ( taxonomyTaxonomy may refer to either a hierarchical classification of things, or the principles underlying the classification. Almost anythinganimate objects, inanimate objects, places, and eventsmay be classified according to some taxonomic scheme. Mathematicall), structure ( anatomyAnatomy (from the Greek anatome from ana-temnein to cut up), is the branch of biology that deals with the structure and organization of living things; thus there is animal anatomy ( zootomy) and plant anatomy ( phytonomy). The major branches of anatomy in), or function ( physiologyIn botany, plant physiology is the study of the function, or physiology of plants. Fundamental processes such as photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration are studied by plant physiologists. It is closely related to biochemistry and molecular biology.) of plant life.
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.
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 our society as it allows us to:
- Feed the world
- Understand fundamental life processes
- Utilise medicine and materials
- Understand environmental changes
