Botany, << BOT uh nee, >> is the branch of biology concerned with the study of plants. Hundreds of thousands of species (kinds) of plants grow all around the world. Scientists called botanists study all aspects of plant life, including where plants live and how plants grow.
What botanists study
Botanists focus on four broad areas in their research: (1) plant classification and form, (2) how plants function, (3) plant habitats, and (4) the uses of plants. Most botanical research involves more than one and sometimes all of these areas. In addition, each of the areas includes various specific fields of study. Because the plant kingdom is so diverse, most botanists focus on one or more specialized fields.
Plant classification and form
provides the framework for almost all fields of botany. In studying a plant, a botanist must first know what type of plant it is. Botanists who specialize in systematics identify plant species. This field includes taxonomy, the science of naming and classifying plants and other living things. Botanists who specialize in morphology examine the form and structure of plants. Their research includes investigations of the cells and tissues that make up a plant’s internal structure.
How plants function.
Plants must carry out a variety of activities to remain alive. Botanists specializing in physiology study the processes that enable plants to grow and reproduce. These botanists examine how plants make and use food, and how they obtain water, minerals, and nutrients from the soil. Much of their work focuses on the chemical processes that take place in the molecules in cells.
Botanists specializing in genetics study how plants pass characteristics on to their offspring through genes (hereditary material). Botanists studying molecular biology examine how genes affect plant form and function. They also study how genes may be altered to change plants or to create new plants through a process called genetic engineering (see Genetic engineering).
Plant habitats
are studied by botanists who specialize in ecology and geography. Plant ecologists study the relationship between plants and their environment. They also examine how plants interact with one another and with animals. Plant geographers study where plants live. They try to explain why certain plants grow in a particular region and other plants do not.
Uses of plants.
The search to find ways that people may use plants is the oldest area of study in botany. Botanists who study agronomy develop and improve crop plants. Those who specialize in forestry study trees, especially the cultivation of trees for use in the manufacture of lumber, paper, and other products. Horticulture is the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental shrubs and trees. Medical botany is the science of using plants to treat diseases.
The importance of botany
The study of plants is important because most of the food that people and animals eat comes from plants, either directly or indirectly. Except for certain microbes, plants are the only living things on land that can make their own food. They do so using the energy in sunlight, in a process called photosynthesis. Animals on land get their energy from plants, either directly by eating plants or indirectly by eating animals that feed on plants. Thus, plants are vital to the survival of animals, including human beings.
Botanists study how plants, animals, and other living things interact with one another. They work to understand how the loss of plants from damaged forests or other habitats will affect other living things. Botanists also study the evolution (gradual change) of plants over millions of years. This research helps them to understand the evolution of other living things, especially animals.
Research by botanists benefits people in a great variety of ways. For example, some botanists develop new crop plants that are more productive and resistant to diseases and pests. In this way, botanists help to secure food for the growing human population. Other botanists search for plants that may provide medicines. Still others work to improve the lumber industry while minimizing harm to the environment.
The history of botany
Beginnings.
People have always been interested in plants and have used them in many ways. Prehistoric people gathered wild plants for food and used plants to build shelters. By about 8000 B.C., people in several locations around the world had begun to raise plants and animals for food. Prehistoric people also raised plants for their beauty and used plants for medicine and in religious ceremonies.
The development of modern botany
began during the Renaissance, a 300-year period of European history that started in the A.D. 1300’s. During this period, European exploration of the world greatly stimulated the study of botany and other sciences. Explorers discovered many new types of plants and brought them to scholars to examine and identify. As a result, modern botany developed around such basic research areas as the classification of plants and the study of their form and function. These areas gradually expanded into many specialized fields as botanists focused on more specific aspects of plant life.
Over the centuries, scientists developed many different systems to classify plants. But most of these systems proved inadequate as knowledge about plants increased and new plants were found. During the mid-1700’s, the Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus developed a system of naming plants that eventually became accepted as a standard classification system. Linnaeus used a binomial system of nomenclature, in which each plant has a unique name consisting of two parts. This system has been modified and expanded into the modern classification system used today. See Classification, Scientific.
The study of plant form made tremendous advances during the 1600’s, after the development of the compound microscope. The first scientists to observe the microscopic structures of plants included Marcello Malpighi of Italy and the Englishmen Robert Hooke and Nehemiah Grew. Also during the 1600’s, research on plant function began with the work of Johann Baptista van Helmont, who was a Flemish doctor and chemist. Van Helmont made discoveries on how plants obtain food and grow.
Later developments.
The study of plant ecology grew from research on the geographic distribution of plants. The German naturalist and geographer Alexander von Humboldt made major contributions to the development of plant geography. He traveled throughout the world during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s and mapped plant distributions. Modern ecology, which includes the study of both plants and animals, emerged in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Pioneers in this field included the American scientists Frederick Clements, Henry A. Gleason, and Robert Wittaker.
Research by the Austrian botanist Gregor Mendel during the second half of the 1800’s had a tremendous impact on the study of botany and other fields of science. His experiments on the breeding of garden peas established the basic laws of heredity.
In the 1900’s, scientists working in plant genetics and molecular biology made many spectacular discoveries. For example, through research on corn plants, the American geneticist Barbara McClintock found that certain genes can move around within the chromosomes of cells. This discovery, announced in 1951, greatly added to understanding of how plants and other organisms inherit their traits.
During the late 1900’s and early 2000’s, many botanists began to use new genetic techniques, including studies of the hereditary material DNA. These techniques enabled the scientists to define plant species and determine the relationships among the species with greater precision. As a result, botanists have made many advances in understanding how different groups of plants are related.
Careers in botany
Botany offers a wide range of career opportunities. Most botanists work either for government agencies or for private industry as research scientists, laboratory technicians, or field botanists. Many technicians conduct agricultural or horticultural research, and others develop new medicines from plants. These botanists must be skilled in the use of such sophisticated laboratory equipment as electron microscopes. They must also have a thorough understanding of experimental procedures and of plant biology. Field botanists study plants in their natural habitat. This work requires a broad knowledge of plant taxonomy and ecology.
A bachelor’s degree is sufficient for some careers in botany, but most positions require a master’s degree. A doctor’s degree is required for advanced positions in research or to teach botany at a university. New jobs for botanists will continue to be created as the world’s population grows and scientists search for better ways to use plants for food and medicine.
