Botany

    Divisions of Biology: Botany

    Botany is another name for plant biology. It is a branch of science that covers subjects and researches relevant to the study of plants only. In the historical ages, botany was prevalent as herbalism. Mankind made efforts to track down and figure out the various families of plants in order to differentiate between medicinal plants, edible plants and poisonous plants.

    Gradually the technique of herbalism evolved and embraced new cutting-edge methods of studying all plants more accurately. Eventually, it gained the name Botany, derived from the very ancient Greek word ‘Botane’ meaning pasture or grass. Other than herbs, shrubs and trees, botany also involves the study of algae and fungi.

    History of Botany

    History of Botany

    Botany is the systematic and scientific study of plants. The history of botany goes as far as to 4th century B.C.E. Check out a timeline of botany history.
    Modern Botany is a broad subject focusing on various disciplines of science studies. Today, methods like life cell imaging, plant chemistry, optical microscopy and electron microscopy are used to study plant variables. In-fact, these techniques are practiced to learn about a plant’s chromosome count, enzyme and protein functions, its DNA sequence and also the molecular genetics patterns of the experimenting plant.

    Researching about plants is not a cakewalk. From a plant structure to its metabolism, evolutionary relationships and taxonomy, every step is big-league.

    Why is Botany an important branch of science?

    Living organisms, both humans and animals depend on plants for nutrition and oxygen. Plants, cyanobacteria, and algae are rich resources of oxygen. They also absorb the natural energy of sunlight and convert it into CO2 and water to facilitate the production of natural sugar that is again harnessed as a rich source of chemical energy and organic molecules. The entire process is termed as Photosynthesis.

    In a nutshell, plants play a very crucial role in shaping the future of human society. From food to oxygen, medicines and other beneficial products, plants are classified as vital living beings. On studying botany and executing successful research works, the scope of making discoveries, multiplying the supply of food, fiber and medicines is quite evident.

    Careers in Botany

    Botany is a branch of science that covers a wide variety of subjects like Biology, Heredity, Plant Anatomy, Morphology and Evolution, Ecology, Plant Geography, Genetics and many others. As a result, there are multiple job opportunities waiting for you. Some of them are:

    • Education Professionals
    • Plant Scientists
    • Plant Biologists
    • Professionals in the field of agriculture and horticulture
    • Conservationists responsible in managing parks, forests and natural wild areas

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    Here are the excellent resources on botany around the web.

    About.com: Botany
    A page of links and articles.

    BioScience Research Tool: Botany
    Specialized directory of online tools and resources selected for Botanists, Plant Physiologists, and Plant Molecular Geneticists.

    Botanic Garden of Irkutsk State University
    Virtual tour and excursion at plant collections of the Botanic Garden of the Irkutsk State University, Siberia, Russia. Rare and endangered plants, gardening and horticulture, economical botany and ethnobotany, conservation of biodiversity, Lake Baikal.

    Botanical Authors Database
    Search the database of authors who contributed to the contents of the catalog of type specimens in the Harvard University Herbaria.

    Botanical collections of Belarus
    Information about addresses, personals, lists of taxa, publications and legislation of botanical collections o Belarus.

    Botanical Publications Database
    Database of publications used to verify the entry of publication names in the Harvard Herbaria catalog.

    Botanical Society of America Image Collection
    Collection of 14 sets of educational images for instructional use, with search capability.

    Botany.Com
    Botany.Com, the Encyclopedia of Plants, is your complete resource for all of your Gardening Needs. It provides information regarding the general description of the plants, the various methods of cultivation, such as indoor or outdoor planting, soil and temperature requirements, pruning, and other important details, the means of propagation (seeds, cuttings, division, etc.), and the different varieties and hybrids.

    Botresearch USA
    a botanical research and biotechnology organization specializing in tissue culture, photomicroscopy, and the production of educational materials for universities.

    CalFlora
    We provide access to information about all 8375 currently recognized vascular plants in California, including over 670,000 records of plant observations and 20,000 photographs. Users may browse these collections by scientific or common names, or search by name, location, and other attributes.

    Center for Plant Conservation
    Collaborative organization dedicated to conserving and restoring the rare native plants of the United States. Includes information on conservation techniques.

    Crop Diseases in Corn, Soybean, and Wheat
    Purdue University offers a database of Crop Diseases.

    Department of Botany, Smithsonian Institution
    The homepage provides hypertext links to news, collections, research, images, and staff. These menus link to current news from the Department links to new resources, research projects and products. From the home pages, there are links to images of plants, plant specimens, and scientific illustrations.

    Deutsche Phytomedizinische Gesellschaft – DPG
    Welcome to the DPG Web of the Deutsche Phytomedizinische Gesellschaft – DPG, which is the homepage of the German Phytomedical Society (the Society for Plant Pathology, Applied Entomology and Weed Sciences in Germany). Here you will find information on society and their activities.

    El Mundo de los Ficus / The World of the Ficus
    Los Ficus: cuidados, poda, riego, abonado, mantenimiento, plagas, curiosidades, foro y enlaces.

    Ethnobotany
    Ethnobotany is the study of how people of a particular culture and region make of use of indigenous plants. Ethnobotanists explore how plants are used for such things as food, shelter, medicine, clothing, hunting, and religious ceremonies.

    Glossary of Botanical Terms
    Contains more than 2,500 terms relating to botany, gardening, horticulture and landscape architecture. Fully searchable and it is regularly updated.

    Green Plant Phylogeny
    Green plant phylogeny research coordination group.

    Herba
    Botanical server of Moscow State University

    Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation
    A division of Carnegie Mellon University. Archives, research, art, and information about the institute are included.

    Iconographia Plantarum of the Herbarium of Central Botanical Gardens of NAS of Belarus (MSKH)
    More than 2500 pictures of vascular plants which grow and are grown up in Belarus. Access is carried out under latin or Russian names of families and/or genuses. 200õ300 and 500õ667 pxl.

    Institute for Plant Ecology
    Information about research and teaching activities with focus on biodiversity and ecophysiology in different climatic regions, based at the University Munster.

    International Centre for Research and Training on Seabuckthorn
    Information on the biology of this plant and its uses for environmental, economic, nutritional, and medical purposes; emphasizing erosion control.

    International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
    Contains information on IPGRI, resources, and press releases.

    Laboratory of growth regulators
    Joined facility of Palacky University and Institute of experimental botany AS CR.

    Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research
    Conducts research programs on molecular-biological, genetical, biochemical, physiological and cytological aspects of plant development and plant breeding. [English and German versions available.]

    Missouri Botanical Garden
    Located on a 79-acre site in St. Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden is world-renowned for its fundamental botanical research, horticultural display, and education programs. The Garden has one of the world’s largest and most active botanical research programs, focused on the tropics, and providing basic information on the world’s botanical diversity.

    National PLANTS Database
    The PLANTS Database is a single source of standardized information about plants. This database focuses on vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.

    Oasis Botanical Sanctuary
    A environmental organization dedicated to the ‘Restoration of Ecolibrium’ Through the preservation of endangered and threatened plants. A California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation.

    PalDat
    Searchable database related to pollen and palynology. Developed in the Department of Ultrastructure Research and Palynology, University of Vienna, Austria.

    Phytoremediation
    Bioremediation of environmental problems using plants.

    Plant Biology Advisor
    Designed with the university level plant biologist in mind. The site includes links to botany faculty working at the major universities, and covers many advanced biological topics

    Plant Tissue Culture Information Exchange
    Intended to give researchers, teachers and producers rapid access to information about plant tissue culture.

    Plants for a Future
    Resource centre for edible, medicinal, and other useful plants.

    Plants of Belarus
    Biodiversity of vascular plants of Belarus, more12’000 species and intraspecific taxa, 2’500 pictures, 1’000 descriptions.

    Texas Plant Disease Handbook
    A comprehensive guide to plants diseases from Texas A&M University.

    The Charms of Duckweed
    All about the smallest flowering plants: General facts & taxonomy; Where do they grow? Anatomy, Evolution, Flowering & Dormancy, Chromosomes, Biochemistry & Physiology, Experiments & Projects for Teachers and Students, Tips for Growing; Uses; Controlling unwanted growth.

    The Delaney Lab at The University of Vermont
    We are interested in exploring the molecular aspects of plant-pathogen interactions, using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model. Our focus is on pathogen-elicited defense responses.

    The Virtual Foliage Home Page
    Your direct link to thousands of plant pictures. Developed and maintained by Michael Clayton.

    Tree identification
    Go Trees concentrates on tree care, from citrus tree care to tree identification, and landscaping from choosing the correct trees through to heavy forestry machinery.

    WWW-Virtual Library: Botany
    useful links to the botany resources on the Internet.

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    1. […] decreases from the bottom to top. This generally occurs in grassland and pond ecosystems where the plants (usually the grasses) occupy the base of the pyramid. The succeeding levels of the pyramid include […]

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