What is botany and what do you study

What is botany and what do you study

By Dr. Kyle Muller

Plants have existed long before us. We depend largely on them, and even humanity has learned to take advantage of it. But this has happened thanks to their scientific study. The methods used for study have entered us to the most basic plant unit: cells. From all this and more is the science that studies plants. Continue reading this interesting ecology article where you will meet this important science called Botany. Discover more about What is botany and what do you studynext.

Definition of botany and what does Botany study

Botany is a branch of biology that It is dedicated to the study of plants. In other words, botany is the science that studies plants. Now, several plant organisms that photosynthesize are understood by plants.

Botany can specialize in certain groups, being:

  • FICOLOGY: Study algae.
  • Bryology: Study non -vascular plants such as mosses and liver.
  • Pteridology: Study plants without flower or seed, such as ferns.
  • Phaneragamous: Study plants with seed.

As you know, there is much to study on these plant organisms. This is how botany has a great research field. Next we explain what items studies botany and what each one of them is called.

Botany branches or division

Botany can specialize in several branches, divided into different groups according to the type of study. Such are:

General Botany

This branch of botany Study the bases of plantswhich can be divided into:

  • Morphology: Study the shape of plants.
  • Anatomy: Study in detail what happens inside plants, that is, study tissues and organs of plants. It is included in this division to the cytology that studies plant cells or histology that analyzes tissues together.
  • Physiology vegetable: Study how plants in processes such as metabolism, nutrient transport, embryology and reproduction work internally.
  • Phytochemistry: Analyze the chemical components of the plants and develop methods to isolate them.

Systematic botany

This is the next level of plants study. It is based on the classification of plants and grouping according to Its origin, evolutionary position and relationship with other plants. This is the division that is responsible for placing families, orders, families and plant species.

Applied Botany

This division seeks to use all the knowledge of the plants to apply it to Human development benefit. There are the following applications of applied botany:

  • Environmental Botany: Use the knowledge of plants to improve and biore media deteriorated ecosystems. We tell you how to take care of the ecosystem in the following post of Ecology Verde.
  • Economic Botany: seeks to integrate plants into the economic value chain.
  • Pharmaceutical Botany: Use the knowledge of active ingredients in plants for the formulation of medicines, phytotherapies, or cosmetics.
  • Phytopathological botany: It focuses on plants diseases, are caused by insects, viruses or bacteria. Discover the types of bacteria that exist in this article that we suggest.
  • Forest Botany: Apply knowledge of tree functioning to improve fields that produce wood or forest derived, such as pinion.

If you want to know more, we leave you this post about the branches of botany and what each one studies.

What is botany and what studies - branches or division of botany

Botany methods

We can address the methods of botany starting Where are they done. They can be:

  • In the field: Here the botanist goes out to the town of interest.
  • In laboratory: Samples taken in the field or obtained from collections are analyzed within controlled spaces.

Within these sites can be used The following methods To study plants:

  • Bitรกcoras: They are small notebooks that are taken to the field to take notes of what is observed on the site, as well as the date, coordinates and notes that will be used once the site is left.
  • Herbal: Herbariums are collections of dehydrated and pressed plants to easily access when they need to consult outside the collection site. Each specimen must carry all their information, which consists of the date and collection zone, binomial scientific name, name of the collector, and notes that can be relevant. To identify a plant it is necessary that you have roots, stem, leaves, flower and fruit, so the ideal is that the herbarium sample contains all this. Three -dimensional elements, such as fruits, can be stored in jars or boxes.
  • Garden botanical: They are organized places that house several living plants. Very complex gardens can be found that replicate climatic conditions through greenhouses or artificial water bodies of the place of origin of the plant that can be brought from very distant areas. Not only are they useful for botanists but also for the education and recreation of the general population.
  • Microscopy: It is extremely useful to know the plant anatomy. For this, optical microscopes or electronic microscopes can be used. Microscopy frequently uses the use of staining to differentiate plant tissues. Sample preparation also includes fine tissue cuts to be observed internally.
  • Guides of identification: To know which species and gender have a plant the botanists use identification guides, which are books that take the researcher for a tour of the characters that a plant has, and discarding those that it does not have, until reaching the genus and species of the specimen in question.
  • Identification apps: The new digitalized world has created new facilities and we cannot leave out the applications for smartphones with which it is only enough to take a picture to identify the plant. Eye, this is a great help but there are many similar plants with each other, so it is important to corroborate with identification guides.

What is botany and what studies - Botany methods

Importance of Botany

Botany is a science that has allowed better to understand the plant world. This is initially important to learn more about the world where we live and have information about what surrounds us.

But, on the other hand, Botany has accompanied us since the beginning of humanity. The man managed to settle and ceased to be nomadic thanks to agriculture, which starts from the knowledge of plants for cultivation.

Advancing thousands of years until now, technology has achieved create more efficient crops To feed more people, they have been achieved Recover damaged ecosystems for intense human activity and even Medicines have been developed from phytoactive.

Plants and humans have a close relationship and botany has been the bridge to get to know each other better.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is botany and what do you studywe recommend that you enter our category of other environment.

Kyle Muller
About the author
Dr. Kyle Muller
Dr. Kyle Mueller is a Research Analyst at the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department in Houston, Texas. He earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Texas State University in 2019, where his dissertation was supervised by Dr. Scott Bowman. Dr. Mueller's research focuses on juvenile justice policies and evidence-based interventions aimed at reducing recidivism among youth offenders. His work has been instrumental in shaping data-driven strategies within the juvenile justice system, emphasizing rehabilitation and community engagement.
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