PHA611 LEC: Introduction

Botany

is the scientific study of plants

Bryophytes

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* non-vascular plant such (ex.: mosses)
* least in common of all terrestrial plants
* no roots
* unable to conduct nutrients (must be attached to host plant)

Cinchona Tree

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* Contains “Quinine” used
* for treatment of malaria.

Periwinkle

Contains “Vinca” that has anti-cancer properties.

NATURAL SELECTION

Species having **specific** features caused them to adapt and reproduce and **pass** these features to their offspring.

Determine which features are **eliminated** and **passed** into next generation.

CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

critical area for research

Has 2 goals:

(1) evaluate human impact in terms of biological diversity, and

(2) to prevent extinction of different species

BIOTECHNOLOGY

Seeks to develop new plant products. The creation of **genetically modified** plants.

CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

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* Critical area for research; prevents extinction of species

Prokaryotes

w/o nuclei

Eukaryote

w/ nuclei

Protista/Plantae

w/ chloroplasts

Fungi/Animalia

w/o chlorplast

Angiosperms

largest group of modern day plants

are also known as flowering plants and having seeds enclosed within their fruit.

Gymnosperms

conifers

no flowers or fruits and have naked seeds on the surface of their leaves.

SCIENTIFIC METHOD

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* A means of **analyzing** the physical universe
* Observations are used as the basis for constructing a hypothesis that predicts the outcome of future observations or experiments
* All accepted information can be derived from documented and controlled expt.

Religious Method

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* Universe is assumed to be created by or to contain deities
* Improtant feature is that the actions of gods cannot be studied
* Crops might floursih or fail due to god’s intervention to reward or punish people
* Faith as fundamental principle of all religion

Metaphysical System

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* In addition to natural forces, there are supernatural, **hidden forces** that can never be observed or studied
* Example
* Luck, bad omens, accurate horoscopes, reliable method for picking the winning numbers in a lottery

Speculative Philosophy

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* Started with greek philosophers
* Sought to develop **logical explanation** for simple observation
* Philosophical postulations of atoms by Democritus
* Atom - smallest unit
* No verification, no expt were done
* **SUGGEST** - basis for a theory

Metabolism

**Exchange** of emergy and matter with the environment must be present

Organisms absorb energy/matter, convert it to their own bodies and excrete the rest

CARL LINNAEUS

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* Father of Taxonomy
* His system for naming, ranking, and classifying organisms is still in wide use today (with many changes)

Plant systematics

evolutionary history of plants

Plant Physiology

Aspects such as photosynthesis, flowering, and hormones

Plant anatomy

Relation of structure to functions

Paleobotany

Evolutionary relationship of fossil plants to living plants

Plant morphology

Plant life cycle, evolution of plants

Plant ecology

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* Plants relate to the environment, human effects to increased rate of plant extinction

Plant genetics

Transfer of genetic information from one generation to the next

Phycology

study of Algae

Mycology

study of fungi

**Microbiology**

disease-causing microorganisms

Horticulture

ornamental plants

Phytochemistry

 important plant compounds

Herbal medicine and Ethnobotany

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* traditional uses of plants

Forestry

forest and products

Agriculture

crops and soil management

Pomology

fruit tree

Sir Francis Bacon

was a firm believer in the power of experimentation and the scientific method to uncover truth

Baconian Method

Give the desc of the facts

Make a tabulation/classification of facts

Accept or reject those facts

PHOTOTROPISM

the ability of the plant to re-orient the shoot growth towards a direction of light source

Postulate

a guess, a basis of theory and argument