1. PBB 111: INTRODUCTION TO PLANT BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
Lecture by:
GODDIDIT ESIRO IGBAPE
EDO UNIVERSITY IYAHMO
              PBB 111: INTRODUCTION TO PLANT BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY by Goddidit Esiro Enoyoze is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

2. MODULE 1 Basic definitions and concepts Related study areas
Career prospects
Introduction to biotechnology

3. Intended learning outcomes:
WEEK ONE
Intended learning outcomes:
At the end of this module, students should be able to:
Explain what biology is.
Describe the characteristics of living things.
Differentiate between living and non-living things.
Differentiate between plants and animals.
List the related study areas and career prospects in plant biology.

4. What is biology?
Biology is the science that deals with the study of life, the interrelationship between diverse forms of living things and their environment.
Bios meaning ‘life’
Logos meaning ‘study or discourse’
Life represents the presence of the processes that make a thing living. These processes are referred to as the characteristics of living things

5. Characteristics of living things
Nutrition
They take in nutrients from organic substances and mineral ions for growth and tissue repair.
2. Excretion
They remove toxic materials, waste products of metabolism and substances in excess by chemical reactions in the cells.
3. Respiration
They exchange gases within their cells and the external environment.
4. Sensitivity
They respond to changes in their environment (response to stimulus).
5. Reproduction
They have the ability to perpetuate life and produce new offspring with same general characters, ensuring continuous survival of species.
6. Growth
They increase in size by increasing cell numbers and cell size from within, using nutrients obtained from food.
7. Movement
They change position, either by moving from place to place or by moving parts of their bodies in response to stimulus.

6. ? DISCUSS How do I differentiate a living from a non-living thing?
Are viruses living or non-living?
How do living things interact with other living things and their environments?

7. There are over 100 Branches and subsections of Biology.
Plant biology
Animal biology

8. DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN PLANTS AND ANIMALS
DISTINGUISHING FEATURE
PLANTS
ANIMALS 1
Growth
Regions of growth are localized (apical and intercalary). Growth continues until death.
All parts grow simultaneously. Growth ceases before death. 2
Chlorophyll and plastids
Present in all plant cells except fungi and parasites.
Absent in all animal cells. 3
Cell-wall
Present.
Absent. 4
Cellulose
Present in plant cell wall, except fungi. 5
Food
Can manufacture own food.
Cannot manufacture own food. 6
Movements
Fixed to support except some lower plants.
Can move freely. 7
Organs
Some are simple or even absent.
Highly developed organ systems. 8
Utilization of Carbon dioxide
Can utilize CO2 in the atmosphere.
Cannot utilize CO2 in the atmosphere. 9
Sensory system
They have either no or very basic ability to sense.
They have much more highly developed sensory and nervous system.

10. Facts about green plants!
Green plants are essential for the existence of all kinds of life, including human life.
They are the only natural products which are able to purify the atmosphere by absorbing CO2 from it and releasing (by breaking down of water) an almost equal volume of pure oxygen into it.
Green plants prepare food using CO2 from the atmosphere and H2O and inorganic salts from the soil in the presence of sunlight.

11. What is plant biology?
Plants to most people mean a wide range of living organisms from the smallest bacteria to the largest living things (the giant sequoia).
By this definition, plants include: algae, fungi, lichens, Mosses, Ferns, conifers and flowering plants.

12. Plant biology can therefore be defined as the science that deals with the study of plants, how they interact with other organisms and the environments they live in.

13. Related Study Areas
Botany
Pure
Applied
Pure botany deals with the study of plants as they form part of nature.
Applied botany deals with the study of plants as they apply to the well-being of man.

14. PLANT MORPHOLOGY: The study of macroscopic (external) plant form (development of flowers, seeds, fruits, leaves, roots and stems).

15. PLANT ANATOMY OR PHYTOTOMY: The study of microscopic (internal) plant structure (cells and tissues).

16. PLANT CYTOLOGY: The study of the structure, function and life history of plant cells.

17. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY: The study of functions and vital processes of plants.

18. PLANT ECOLOGY: Studies the inter-relationship between plants and the environment they live in.

19. PLANT GEOGRAPHY: A subdiscipline of ecology which studies the distribution and abundance of plants and the factors responsible for the distribution of plants.

20. SYSTEMS ECOLOGY: The use of mathematical models to demonstrate concepts in nutrient cycling.

21. TAXONOMY/ SYSTEMATICS: The discipline of identifying classifying and naming plants in different natural groups according to the similarities and differences between their morphological characteristics.

22. PLANT BIOCHEMISTRY: The study of chemical aspects of plant life processes and chemical products from plants (phytochemicals).

23. PLANT GENETICS: The study of heredity, specifically mechanisms of heredity transmission and variation of inherited characteristics in plants.

24. BRYOLOGY: The study of bryophytes (mosses).

25. PTERIDOLOGY: The study of pteridophytes (ferns).

26. PALEOBOTANY: The study of the biology and evolution of plant fossils.

27. ALGOLOGY: The study of algae.

28. MYCOLOGY: The study of fungi.

29. LICHENOLOGY: The study of lichens (dual association of alga and fungus).

30. BIOPHYSICS: The application of physics knowledge to plant life processes.

31. BACTERIOLOGY: The study of bacteria.

32. ECONOMIC BOTANY: The study of the relationship between people and plants. It is the study of plants of importance to people.

33. PLANT BREEDING: The field concerned with development of better types of plants.

34. HORTICULTURE: The science and art of growing and selling medicinal/ornamental plants, vegetables and fruits.

35. PHYTOMEDICINE: The application of scientific knowledge of plants, plant parts and isolated plant chemicals for the prevention and treatment of diseases.

36. PLANT PATHOLOGY: The study of diseases of plants.

37. FORESTRY: The science of creating, managing, using, conserving and repairing forests and its resources for man’s use.

38. AGRONOMY: The science and technology of producing plants for food, fuel, fiber and land reclamation.

39. PLANT CONSERVATION: The study of plant decline, its causes and techniques to prevent further loss of plant species.

40. FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: The study that deals with the development of food from various plants.

41. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY: The study that deals with the introduction of desirable traits into plants through genetic modification.

42. 1. Education 2. Research 3. Production
The plant scientists in the given areas of specialization can function in the following areas:
Assignment:
Write out specific examples of Institutions and Industries were plant scientists discussed above can work within Nigeria.
1. Education 2. Research 3. Production

43. History of Plant Biology- A Timeline
ASSIGNMENT
DATE
INDIVIDUAL(S)
CONTRIBUTION
4th Century B. C. E
Aristotle and Theophratus (Father of Botany)
Identifying and describing plants.
A. D. 60
Dioscorides
Wrote ‘De Materia Medica’, describing a thousand medicines, majorly from plants

44. Reference Texts BOTANY FOR DEGREE STUDENTS BY AC DUTTA
INTRODUCTION TO TROPICAL PLANT BIOLOGY BY GO ANOLIEFO

45. Thank you

46. BIOTECHNOLOGY
United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defined Biotechnology as ‘any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof to make or modify products or processes for specific use’.
Biotechnology is the summation of activities involving technological tools and living organism in such a way that it will enhance the efficiency of the productions for man’s benefit.
Biotechnology is the use of living organisms (biology) in whole (e.g. bacteria, fungus) or in part (genetic materials (e.g. chromosome, gene), or biological substances (e.g. enzymes) to perform specific bioprocess tasks (technology).

47. Important milestones of Biotechnology
BC-100CE  Discovery of fermentation.  Crop rotation as a mechanism to improve soil fertility.  Animal and plant products as a source of fertilizer and insecticide respectively. 2. Pre-20th Century  Identification of living cell and bacteria.  Discovery of small pox vaccine, rabies vaccine.  Process development to separate cream from milk.  Discovery of artificial sweeteners, “invertase”.  Discovery of DNA and chromosome responsible for genetic traits.

48. 3. 20th Century
 Discovery of Penicillin.
 3-D Structure of DNA.
 Fabrication of artificial limb and arms.
 Production of human insulin in bacteria “Humulin”.
 Discovery of PCR.
 Gene therapy.
 Procedure for artificial insemination and test-tube baby.
 Cloning of first mammal “Dolly”.
4. 21st Century
 Vertebrate, invertebrate and bacterial genome sequences.
 Completion of Human Genome sequence.
 Sequencing of Rice genome.
 Discovery of Nano radio.
 Invention of Bionic leg.

49. Types of biotechnology
Microbial Biotechnology
Agricultural Biotechnology
Animal Biotechnology
Forensic Biotechnology
Environmental Biotechnology
Aquatic Biotechnology
Medical Biotechnology
Regulatory Biotechnology

50. Microbial Biotechnology
Definition:
‘Microbial biotechnology is defined as any technological application that uses technological systems, microbial organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.’ Manipulation of microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria.
Applications:
Create better enzymes
More efficient decontamination processes for industrial waste product removal
Used to clone and produce large amounts of important proteins used in human medicine

51. Agricultural Biotechnology
United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) predicts by 2050, we will need to feed a world population of 9.1 billion! This requires raising food production by approximately 70%!
What are biofuel crops?
Definition:
Agricultural biotechnology is a range of tools, including traditional breeding techniques, that alter living organisms to increase agricultural productivity.
Plants more environmentally friendly that yield more per acre (genetically engineered)
Resistance to diseases and insects
Foods with higher protein or vitamin content
Drugs developed and grown as plant products
These better plants ultimately reduce production costs to help feed the growing world population
Discuss some solutions to better feed the world by 2050.

52. Animal Biotechnology Definition:
Animal biotechnology is a branch of biotechnology in which molecular biology techniques are used to genetically engineer or modify animals in order to improve their suitability for pharmaceutical, agricultural or industrial applications.
Applications:
Animals as a source of medically valuable proteins e.g Antibodies
Transgenic animals - way to achieve large scale production of therapeutic proteins from animals for use in humans. Female transgenic animals express therapeutic proteins in milk (contains genes from another source). Example: human genes coding for clotting proteins can be introduced into female goats for production of these proteins in their milk.
Animals as important models in basic research
Gene "knockout" experiments - Disrupt a gene in the animal and then look at what functions are affected in the animal as a result of the loss of the gene. This allows researchers to determine the role and function of the gene. Since humans are similar to rats and mice, gene knockout studies in rats and mice can lead to better understanding of gene function in humans.
Design and testing of drugs and genetic therapies
Animal cloning
Source of transplant organs

53. Forensic Biotechnology
Forensic biotechnology is the application of biotechnology to the legal system. By identifying DNA salvaged from a crime scene (e.g. tissues, hair, blood, etc.), a forensic biotechnologist can place a suspect at the scene of the crime or identify an unknown individual.
Forensic biotechnology is also used in:
paternity cases
identification of human remains
tracking and confirmation of the spread of diseases
identifying and monitoring endangered species, through DNA fingerprinting.

54. Environmental Biotechnology
Bioremediation: The use of biotechnology to process and degrade a variety of natural and manmade substances. Particularly those that contribute to environmental pollution. For example, stimulated growth of bacteria that degrade components in crude oil. This method has been used in :
1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska
2010 Deep Water Horizon spill (promoted research into natural oil-degrading organisms and enzymes)
adding nutrients to stimulate growth of bacteria to clean up oil spill

55. Aquatic Biotechnology
Aquaculture – raising fish in controlled conditions for use as food sources. Example finfish and shellfish (50% of all fish consumed by humans).
Genetic engineering
Disease-resistant strains of oysters
Vaccines against viruses that infect salmon and other finfish
Transgenic salmon that overproduce growth hormone
Bio-prospecting: rich and valuable sources of new genes, proteins and metabolic processes with important applications for human benefits
Marine plankton and snails found to be rich sources of antitumor and anticancer molecules

56. Why create transgenic salmon overproducing growth hormone?
How does this modified salmon help humans?
transgenic
normal
Answer 1. By creating transgenic salmon that overproduce Growth Hormone, it allows the salmon to have fast growth rates over a short period of time.
Answer 2. This modified salmon helps humans because it decreases the time and expenses required to grow the salmon for market sale.
Two different salmon

57. Medical biotechnology
Medical biotechnology is the use of living cells and cell materials to research and produce pharmaceutical and diagnostic products that help treat and prevent human diseases.
Involved with the whole spectrum of human medicine
Preventive medicine (vaccines)
Diagnosis of health and illness
Treatment of human diseases
Human Genome Project (Gene therapy): Research on the function of human genes and controlling factors that regulate genes.
Stem cell technologies: Stem cells are immature cells grown in lab and then treated with different chemicals to allow them to develop into specific kinds of tissues needed for transplant. Stem cells are currently used for diabetes and spinal cord injuries.

58. Regulatory Biotechnology
Quality Assurance (QA):
This involves all activities involved in regulating the final quality of a product.
Quality Control (QC):
Part of QA process that involves lab testing and monitoring of processes and applications to ensure consistent product standards.
Together QA and QC ensure that biotechnology products meet strict standards for purity and performance.
Why should you care about a product undergoing intense regulations as a consumer ?
PBB 111: INTRODUCTION TO PLANT BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY by Goddidit Esiro Enoyoze is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.