1. Chapter 1 Introduction to Plants and Botany

2. Topics Why knowledge in Botany is crucial? What is a plant?
Kingdom Plantae
Origin of photosynthesis
Origin of plants

3. Why Botany? Me, others and abiotic environment
Buildup of atmospheric CO2 - many sources - global climate change/warming
CO2 removal and O2 release - only one way - Can plants reverse the CO2 accumulation? - plants have changed earth’s climate - impacted evolution and biodiversity
Plants & People: Food - agriculture and human society today; Fiber - keep us unnaked; Lumber and paper - forestry and wood-based industries; Chemicals - Phytopharmacognosy, Dyes, Flavors, Perfumes, Pesticides, Preservatives, Texture-makers, Hormones; Biotechnology; Beauty and Spirituality

4. Plants – Kingdom Plantae
Defining the term, plant, is difficult
Inclusion or exclusion of some groups
Green algae - similar biochemistry
Archaeplastids – plants+green and red
algae
phytoplanktons – CaCO3
tests – global CO2-O2
balance
Brown algae: Is it a plant?

5. Plant Systematics - Natural selection
Organisms make non-identical offspring whose features pass to its offspring
Offspring with features that are well-adapted to the environment reproduce more
New phenotypes arise periodically
by mutations - P=G X E
Natural selection - new features are
eliminated or continued/balanced
Evolution by natural selection is
consistent with:
observations on nature/life
experimentation
chemistry and physics

6. Origin of photosynthesis and plants
Life on earth ~3.5 bybp with prokaryotes (bacteria and later archaeans)
Photosynthesis bybp in cyanobacteria mainly
Organelles by endosymbiotic events (1.5 bybp) followed by division of labor and specialization
Eukaryotes nuclei and other organelles (plants, fungi, animals, algae)
DNA became stationary in its own organelles
Those with mitochondria evolved to be protozoans, fungi, and animals
Those with mitochondria + chloroplasts evolved into plants and algae – plants evolved from green algae ~475 mybp

7. Photosynthetic bacteria
Cyanobacteria – oxygenic - water is e donor - make O2
Purple and purple sulfer bacteria, green sufer and green gliding bacteria etc. - nonoxygenic - H2S is a main e donor
Chl a + c/d + carotenoids
Archaeplastid
super group
Chl a + b +
carotenoids

8. Origin of plants
Green algae to Bryophytes (~475 mybp) to Tracheophytes
Flowering plants evolved mybp
Many characteristics evolved with/following the flower
Fruits
Simple, flat, broad leaves
Complex vascular syst.
Wood
Most dominant today
Cladogram NEXT