General Botany

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Plants are a vital part of anyone’s life. However, many people suffer from plant blindness: the inability to notice the plants in one’s own environment. This blindness can lead to the inability to recognize the importance of plants in the biosphere, and in human affairs. However, it also leads to a lower appreciation of the aesthetic and unique biological features of the life forms belonging to the Plant Kingdom. Finally, the blindness contributes to the misguided and anthropocentric ranking of plants as inferior to animals. This course is designed to show the general importance of plants and illustrate their unique adaptations. Topics that will be covered fall into two main categories: plant structure, and plant physiology and development. Topics of plant structure include: growth and division of cells, primary growth of stems (the herbaceous plant), leaves, roots, secondary growth (the woody plant), and flowers and reproduction. Plant physiology and development will include plants and energy (e.g. photosynthesis, respiration), nutrition and transport in plants (soils, mineral uptake and water flows), and plant growth and development.