(finished) Botany - Human Connections/History

“Father of botany”

aka botany’s founder.

Ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus, who wrote “ Enquiry into Plants” (aka Historia Plantarum”) and “On the Causes of Plants”.

What field did Botany originate from?

Herbalism, the study and use of plants for their possible medicinal properties.

The 3 German fathers of botany

Otto Brunfels, Hieronymus Bock, and Leonhart Fuchs

Paleobotany

The branch of paleontology that focuses specifically on the study of ancient plants through their fossilized remains.

When did the first ever plants evolve?

Middle Ordovician (~470 million years ago), from freshwater algae “charophytes”.
By the middle of the Devonian (~390 million years ago), many of the features recognised in land plants today were present (e.g. roots/leaves).

When did the first flowering plants evolve?

Appeared suddenly/rapidly diversified in early Cretaceous (~130mya), from coevolutionary relationships (mutualism) with pollinators.
This leads to pollination syndromes, where a flower evolves to match the anatomy/ sensory capabilities of its primary pollinator.

When did the first deciduous and coniferous trees evolve?

Carboniferous period, 359-299mya— “Wattieza” might’ve been the first.

Conifers: ~300mya, late Carboniferous.

When did the first spore-producing plants evolve?

Ordovician period, 486-443 mya

When did the first seed-producing plants evolve?

Middle Devonian period, ~385mya.

GMO

An organism in which one or more changes have been made to the genome in an attempt to alter its characteristics.

Pros/cons of GMOs (3, 2)

Pros:

• Resistance to disease, pests, and/or herbicides (less need to use chemicals etc to combat them)

• More attractive/affordable to customers (better taste/nutrition)

• Can feed lots of people due to better yield and survivability

Cons:

• Herbicide/pesticide resistance encourages more of its use, resulting in super weeds/pests and environmental damage

• GMO contamination, when GMO’s accidentally spread their genetic info onto non-GMO crops/plants. Leads to less biodiversity, and can lead to super weeds

  • Can’t be reversed

Horticulture

The science and art of growing ornamental plants, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and other economically valuable crops or trees on a controlled scale.

Aquaculture

Hydroponics

The breeding, rearing, and harvesting of water organisms under controlled conditions for at least part of their lifecycle.

Hydroponics: The technique of growing plants using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil

Plants used in medicine (5)

• Chamomile (anxiety, inflammation/swelling)

• Peppermint (antimicrobial. Colds)

• Opium Poppy (pain, anxiety, muscle relaxation)

• Feverfew (fever, migraines, arthritis)

• Echinacea (cold, flu, infection, wound healing)