Essentials of Botany

Botany is the scientific study of plants. Plants, means a wide range of living organisms from the smallest bacteria to the largest living things - the giant sequoia trees. Whether you call it botany, plant science or plant biology, it is one of the world’s oldest natural sciences. 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. Plants are vital to all life on earth. They convert light from the sun into energy we can eat, and even use for fuel. They also release the oxygen we breathe. Botanists study plants to try to understand how these processes work. Their research is involved in enhancing crops, developing medicines, cleaning up contaminated sites, and even powering our cars. It’s an exciting field on the cutting edge of the clean energy economy. It’s also a profession for nature lovers. 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.