1. Introduction to Botany

2. What is Botany? Botany is the study of the origin, diversity, structure, and internal processes of plants Botany is a diverse area in that many components of biology can be viewed from a plant perspective including: – Molecular biology-Taxonomy – Biochemistry- Ecology – Cell biology- Genetics – Anatomy- Horticulture – Morphology- Physiology

3. Why Might Botany be Important?

4. Population Increase The population increases by about 1% a year, meaning the current population is about 7.4 billion people. How do we feed them all? PLANTS! Yes, we eat meat as well, but that meat lives through eating plants. THIS IS IMPORTANT STUFF!! PLANTS = LIFE!

5. Biological Diversity Because of population increases, biological diversity has significantly reduced through human activities such as growing crops and clearing forests We need to create a sustainable environment, or one that allows humans to survive for more generations. If we understand how plants grow and the parts, we can contribute to this sustainability

6. What are Some Characteristics of Plants?

7. Characteristics of Plants Plants are extremely organized. In order for them to be this organized, they must all be made up of the building blocks of life: cells! What are cells made of? Atoms! Organization for Biological World Atoms  Molecules  Macromolecules  Organelles  Tissues  Organs  Organisms  Populations  Community  Ecosystem  Biosphere

8. Energy Use Plants also must take in energy to use it for processes. This energy comes from the sun. Plants undergo photosynthesis to take in this energy and convert it into something they can use (glucose) Plants undergo cellular respiration to break down glucose to use as energy for their processes

9. Responding to Stimuli Plants respond to stimuli, or changes in their environment Some stimuli include: changes in direction, color, amount of light, temperature, orientation toward gravity, and the chemical composition So what does a plant do if one of these stimuli change? Let’s find out!

10. Quick Review of Lab Terms Independent variable: does not change from other variables (x-axis) Dependent variable: changes based on other variables (y-axis) Control: same experiment with no changes in variables Hypothesis: educated guess to explain a problem Inductive Reasoning: using specific examples to draw a general conclusion Deductive Reasoning: reasoning from generalities to specifics and can show relationships among data

11. Responding to Stimuli Lab Groups of 3 Before starting, your group will need to choose one of the stimuli discussed. You will then come up with how you are going to test that stimuli on the handout provided to you. Label the independent/dependent variables and the control! Bring your lab to me to check over and make sure it is easily understood. Set up lab with group and set in designated places