Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Physiological Aspects
Plant physiology and plant biochemistry are the most technical areas of botany; most major advances in physiology also reflect the development of either a new technique or the dramatic refinement of an earlier one to give a new degree of precision. Fortunately, the methodology of measurement has been vastly improved in recent decades, largely through the development of various…
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Morphological Aspects
The invention of the compound microscope provided a valuable and durable instrument for the investigation of the inner structure of plants. Early plant morphologists, especially those studying cell structure, were handicapped as much by the lack of adequate knowledge of how to prepare specimens as they were by the imperfect microscopes of the time. A revolution in the effectiveness of microscopy…
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Other Subdisciplines
In addition to the major subdisciplines, several specialized branches of botany have developed as a matter of custom or convenience. Among them are bacteriology, the study of bacteria; mycology, the study of fungi; phycology, the study of algae; bryology, the study of mosses and liverworts; pteridology, the study of ferns and their relatives; and paleobotany, the study of fossil plants. Palynology is the study of modern and fossil pollen and spores, with particular reference…
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Plant Systematics
Systematics deals with the identification and ranking of all plants. It includes classification and nomenclature (naming) and enables the botanist to comprehend the broad range of plant diversity and evolution. Plant systematics is a science that includes and encompasses traditional taxonomy; however, its primary goal is to reconstruct the evolutionary history of plant life. It divides plants into taxonomic groups, using morphological,…
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Plant Ecology
Ecology deals with the mutual relationships and interactions between organisms and their physical environment. The physical factors of the atmosphere, the climate, and the soil affect the physiological functions of the plant in all its manifestations, so that, to a large degree, plant ecology is a phase of plant physiology under natural and uncontrolled conditions. Plants are intensely sensitive to the forces…
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Plant Physiology
Physiology deals with the functions of plants. Its development as a subdiscipline has been closely interwoven with the development of other aspects of botany, especially morphology. In fact, structure and function are sometimes so closely related that it is impossible to consider one independently of the other. The study of function is indispensable for the…
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Plant Morphology
Morphology deals with the structure and form of plants and includes such subdivisions as: cytology, the study of the cell; histology, the study of tissues; anatomy, the study of the organization of tissues into the organs of the plant; reproductive morphology, the study of life cycles; and experimental morphology, or morphogenesis, the study of development. Plant morphology “represents a study of…
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Plant Taxonomy
The initial definition of plants includes the green algae, fungi, and the embryophytes since they all have chloroplasts and cell wall. However, algae and fungi eventually were moved to their respective kingdoms. In the narrowest sense, plants (i.e. Plantae sensu strictissimo) are those that basically are multicellular, with cell walls containing cellulose, and have chloroplasts for…
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Plant Body
Embryophytes, in general, have two major organ systems: (1) shoot system and (2) root system. The shoot system includes body parts that are located in the upper portion of the plant whereas the root system consists of body parts found in the lower portion. The shoot system may include plant organs such as stems, branches, leaves, flowers,…
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Plant Characteristics
A plant refers to any of the eukaryotes that belong to the biological kingdom Plantae. Plants, in the strictest sense, are embryophytes that include vascular plants, liverworts, hornworts, and mosses. Some references that are less strict considered green algae as plants. The green algae are comprised of unicellular and multicellular species that have chloroplasts and cell wall. The fundamental characteristics listed below focus on the…
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