Botany

The science of botany is the study of plants, including plant structure, function, systematics and ecology. The earth on which we live is inhabited by numerous plant species that produce essential materials for the support of humans, other animals and the great diversity of plants themselves. Plants are the foundation of all terrestrial communities, and they dramatically affect the world’s climate, the global cycles of nutrients and water, as well as the lives of animals every day. Botany is a branch of biological science which deals with the study of plants. Scientific disciplines such as agricultural sciences and forestry are based on the basic science of botany. Because plants are so diverse, botanists--who are scientists that study plants--share a common interest in and curiosity about the hundreds of thousands of species of plants on earth. Students study a wide variety of activities, such as the relationship of plants to each other and their environment, plant growth and metabolism, classification and identification of plants, plant cell composition and plant heredity. Botanical studies have helped in the development of many medicines and drugs which are extracted from plants and are really helpful to fight many diseases. It also help in the production of plants which provide natural raw materials like cotton, rubber, paper, silk, vegetable oils etc.

Origin/History

The Word Botany is derived from the Greek word ‘botane’ which means pasture, grass or fodder. Today Botany covers the study of around 400,000 species of living organisms. Botany developed as a science in ancient Greece. Theophrastus is (c. 371-287 B.C.) considered as the father of botanical science. He invented and described many of the principles of modern botany. His work ‘Enquiry into Plants’ and ‘On the Causes of Plants’ are considered as extremely important contribution to science botany. However, the practical interest in plants developed far back before recorded times.  Before botany become a discipline of science primitive man used plants for many reasons. Food, Clothing, Shelter and medicine are important among them. Botanical science got a new start with the development of the concept of agriculture. People started focusing more in systematic plant growth. It was not only a better method for cultivating crops but also a way of protecting them from weather and pest damage. There are evidence of sophisticated botanical works practiced in ancient civilizations of China, Egypt, Babylonia, and Greece. What Theophrastus brought to such practical interests in plants was an inquiry that was more theoretical. After Theophrastus, botanical science progressed very little until the rediscovery of his writings in the fifteenth century, just as the Renaissance was beginning.

Scope of Botany

Scope means the extent of the area or subject matter that something deals with or to which it is relevant. Plants were used since early civilization by man for various purposes besides food, clothes and shelter. However, the sphere of the subject has been increased dramatically in recent times. Now each and every human activity is directly or indirectly related to plants.

The Scope of botany deals with the course content of plant sciences and its utility in terms of mankind. Historically, botany covers all organisms that were not considered to be animals.  Botany as a discipline is a vast subject. It covers a large number of sub-branches covering all the possible aspects of plant science. Branches like morphology, anatomy, histology and cytology give us an idea about what plants are, and to what extent they are diverse. The diversity of plant kingdom can be studied by dividing the plants into groups on the basis of similarities (Taxonomy). The functional aspects of plants are covered in plant physiology and the chemistry involved in plants and plant processes in biochemistry. Plant diseases along with the con¬trol measures are studied in plant pathology. The knowledge about the-distribu¬tion of plants on earth's surface is dealt under phytogeography. Knowl¬edge on fossil plants enables us to know about the extinct plants and their distribution in the geological time table. The scope of botany also includes the benefits derived from the plant world. The entire living world, espe¬cially man, is directly or indirectly de¬pendent on plants. The scope of botany also includes the benefits derived from the plant world. The entire living world, espe¬cially man, is directly or indirectly de-pendent on plants. Modern branches like biotechnol¬ogy and genetic engineering tell us how best the genomes of plants can be utilized and modified for the ben¬efit of mankind. Botany, along with its allied branches, provides employment op¬portunities. It is a prerequisite for studying medicine or pharmacy. There is also enormous employment scope in agriculture, horticulture, for¬estry, etc.

The study of plants is important for a number of reasons. Plants are must for the existence of life on Earth. The utility of plants are realized by all of us. It generates the oxygen, food, fibers, fuel and medicine that allow higher life forms to exist. Plants also absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, a minor greenhouse gas that in large amounts can affect global climate. It is believed that the evolution of plants has changed the global atmosphere of the earth early in the earth's history and paleobotanists study ancient plants in the fossil record. The importance of studying botany can be realized with the help of following reasons.

•   Feed the world
•   Understand fundamental life processes
•   Utilize medicine and materials
•   Understand environmental changes

Sub-disciplines of Botany

Botany is a vast subject. There are many sub-disciplines of botany exists today. The main sub-disciplines and a brief description of the study area of these disciplines are provided below.  

Agronomy — Agronomy is a very important branch of botany. Agronomy is the study of a division of agriculture dealing with crop production and management of farm land. Individuals specializing in agronomy are referred to as Agronomists and usually run experiments on large scale crops.

Bryology — Bryology is the study of the plant order Bryophyta. Bryophyta is the Plant Division that contains sub-classes of Mosses (Musci), Liverworts (Hepaticae) and Hornworts (Anthocerotophyta). Plants in this Division have crude stems and leaves, but no roots. Instead of roots, they have "rhizoids." Rhizoids help anchor the plant to a surface, but they do not absorb nutrients like roots on other plants do. 

Cryptobotany — Cryptobotany is an interesting branch of botany as it is the study of various exotic plants which are not believed to exist by the scientific community. However, these exotic plants are believed to be existed in myth, literature or unsubstantiated reports. Folk legend and ethnic usage of plants, often as interdisciplinary research, is presented and developed for an unknown species, in the hope of allowing those species to be collected or adequately identified.

Dendrology – Dendrology is the study of woody plants. This study of woody plants includes trees, as most people would assume. It also includes shrubs that have many woody stems and vines that require something solid to support it.

Economic botany — Economic botany is broadly defined as the study of the relationship between people and plants. This interdisciplinary study encompasses the fields of anthropology and botany as it explores the countless ways humans employ plants for food, medicine, textiles, shelter and more. Today economic botany continues to make significant contributions to anthropology, botany and environmental conservation.

Ethnobotany — Ethnobotany, the study of the classification, use and management of plants by people, draws on a range of disciplines, including natural and social sciences, to show how conservation of plants and of local knowledge about them can be achieved. Ethnobotany is critical to the growing importance of developing new crops and products such as drugs from traditional plants.

 Forestry — Forestry is the science, art and practice of understanding, managing and using wisely the natural resources associated with, and derived from forest lands.

 Horticulture — Horticulture is the Art, Science, Technology and Business of intensive plant cultivation for human use. It is practiced from the individual level in a garden up to the activities of a multinational corporation.

Mycology — Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy, and their use to humans as a source for tinder, medicinals (for instance penicillin), food (for instance beer, wine, cheese, edible mushrooms), entheogens, as well as their dangers, such as poisoning or infection. From mycology arose the field of phytopathology, the study of plant diseases, and the two disciplines remain closely related because the vast majority of plant pathogens are fungi.

Lichenology — Lichenology is the branch of mycology that studies the lichens, symbiotic organisms made up of an intimate symbiotic association of a microscopic alga (or a cyanbacterium) with a filamentous fungus.

Paleobotany — Paleobotanists focus their studies on the biology of fossil plants. It is the study of fossil plants found buried in sediments and rocks, and is one of many fields of study within the broad science of botany. A paleobotanist is a person who studies fossil plants.

Palynology — Palynology is the study of plant pollen, spores and certain microscopic plankton organisms (collectively termed palynomorphs) in both living and fossil form.

Phytochemistry —Phytochemistry is the study of the chemistry of substances found in plants. Phytochemistry is in the strict sense of the word the study of phytochemicals.

Phytopathology — Phytopathology or plant pathology is the study of disease in plants. Diseases caused by pathogens which attack plants are studied by phytopathologists, along with damage caused by environmental factors. 

Plant anatomy — The science of the structure of the organized plant body learned by dissection is called Plant Anatomy (anatomy-dissection).  In general, Plant Anatomy refers to study of internal morphology, pertaining to different tissues.  The subject of this chapter is structure of Angiosperms, with emphasis on primary tissues.

Plant ecology — The branch of science that is concerned with the relationships between organisms and their environments.

Plant genetics — The definition of genetics is the branch of biology that deals with heredity, especially the mechanisms of hereditary transmission and the variation of inherited characteristics among similar or related organisms.

Plant morphology — Structure and life cycles Plant morphology is a field of botanic biology, researching the form and structure of plants according either to their biological function,  a pre-defined morphological system or experimental morphology.

Plant neurobiology — Plant Neurobiology describes a newly named, but also old and fascinating field in plant biology addressing the physiological basis of adaptive behavior in plants.

Plant physiology — Plant physiology is a sub discipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology (structure of plants), plant ecology (interactions with the environment), phytochemistry (biochemistry of plants), cell biology, and molecular biology.

Career

Botany is a vast subject with many specializations within it. Botanists are employed in diverse fields in both government and private sector. They are employed in areas like government research laboratories and field stations, industry and academic institutions. An undergraduate degree in botany prepares students for professional employment or for graduate studies. A graduate training and an advanced degree opens multiple doors of career. Depending on the level of training, they may serve in technical positions or as senior scientists. Large number of employment opportunities exists in the basic sub-disciplines of the subjects like cellular and molecular plant biology, physiology, anatomy etc.  A degree in botany also may be the foundation for further study and careers in applied fields of plant pathology, forestry, crop production, horticulture, genetics and plant breeding, plant biotechnology, or environmental monitoring and control. Some outdoor positions to consider include that of ecologist, taxonomist, conservationist, forester or plant explorer. A person with an inclination towards mathematics can opt for the field of biophysics, developmental botany, and genetics or systems ecology. An interest in chemistry can provide you with the opportunity to become a plant biochemist, molecular biologist or plant physiologist. Biotechnology is a big field to enter as well.  A list of some of the major opportunity areas for a botany student is mentioned below.

•   Teaching
•   Research 
•   Environment consultants, 
•   Plant explorers, 
•   Ecologists, 
•   Conservationists, 
•   Park ranger/Forester, 
•   Nursery manager, 
•   Taxonomist, 
•   Horticulturist, 
•   Genetics, 
•   Plant biochemist, 
•   Molecular biologist, 
•   Plant pathologist, 
•   Environmental consultant, 
•   Farming consultant
•   Marine Botanist
•   Herbicide development/testing/sales
•   Quarantine officer
•   Conservation field worker
•   Pre-destruction plant surveys
•   Professor
•   Plant breeder
•   Biochemist
•   Pharmaceutical researcher/explorer/chemist
•   Plant Care and Cultivation expert

Botany as a career is best suited for people who have an affinity towards nature and plants. A person qualified in botany is called a Botanist. Botanists play an important part in modern science and industry.