1. By Sydney Beckstead, in partnership with Dr. Kayri Havens

2. What is Botany? Botany is the scientific study of plants. It is a subcategory under Biology, since Biology is the study of all living things. Botanists study every thing about plants from their names, to what threatens certain species of them. They try to make the endangered plants multiply again, and they make their best effort toward keeping invasive (not native species of plants) plants out of places they’re not supposed to be. They also study the parts of plants, and how certain species affect other organisms around them. So welcome to the beauteous world of Botany! http://www.botany.org/bsa/careers/what_is_botany.php

3. Why are Botanists important? Botanists, the scientists who study plants, are constantly striving to help preserve the ecological balance of plants and animals. They chart plant populations and make sure that humans are not interfering with the natural balance of how these plants would naturally grow. A lot of the time, people don’t realize they are hurting nature, so these Botanists try to help educate the public and create laws to protect certain species. This chart shows how different factors affected this thistle’s populations. The Botanists have been monitoring it and they are trying to help conserve this endangered species

4. How do humans positively affect plants? Humans affect plants in many ways just going about their everyday life. Here are some of the ways we positively and negatively coexist with plants. Positive Humans are interested in preserving rare plants, and keeping their habitats. They help to legally protect their natural habitats. They destroy invasive species. They create control burns when no natural fires have happened for a long time.

5. How do humans negatively affect plants? Sometimes humans don’t realize they are hurting plant species by some of the little things they do. Negative Humans destroy some plant’s habitats by plowing over natural areas for farming, recreational activities, and building. They can introduce invasive species. They are creating climate change and global warming that can negatively affect certain species of plants (i.e. making the temperatures warmer so the plant’s natural place is no longer habitable by them).

6. What are present day Botanists working on? Present day botanists are working on several things to try and make plant species thrive more. They perform tests and experiments on certain types of plant species to see how they react to different environments. They go out in the field and find where endangered species’ habitats are to try to preserve them. They advise the lawmakers about which species should be put on the endangered list, and what areas of nature need to be protected. They create population graphs and try to help species relocate who have reached carrying capacity. As you can see, Botanists are working on many things that help our Earth and the plants on it.

7. Conclusion Botanists are scientists who study plants. They help the environment and preserve endangered species. They are very important to the environment and help create laws to save wildlife. They are crucial to our planet’s health because they preserve natural areas and the plants we need to survive. They help educate people on ecology and how us as humans affect the Earth.

8. Bibliography…… Thank you so much to my Mentor Scientist, Dr. Kay Havens, and The Botanical Society of America for your wonderful information!!! Sources: 1. Chart of Probability of Extinction for two natural populations of Cirsium pitcheri at Wilderness State Park: Kayri Havens, et. all; “Effects of a non-native biocontrol weevil, Larinus planus, and other emerging threats on populations of the federally threatened Pitcher’s thistle, Cirsium pitcheri”; Biological conservation; pg.6