What is botany?

Botany, also called plant science(s), plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botany

Have you ever thought about this? What is a plant?

Plants:

1. Reproduce
2. Adapt to their environment
3. Have chlorophyll and are photosynthetic
4. Have no decision making ability
5. Have nuclei and cell walls
6. Can't move
7. Store info in genes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRYMS3rZxRw

What will we learn this semster?

Week 1	What is Botany/What is a plant/Parts of a cell
Week 2	Parts of  a plant cell cont./Find plants in yard and identify characteristics
Week 3	Photosynthesis/Respiration/Create Poster
Week 4	Review and Test/Vascular Plants/Water Uptake/Celery Experiment
Week 5	Vascular Plants/Water Uptake/Celery Experiment Cont.
Week 6	Review and Test/Classification
Week 7	Classification Cont.
Week 8	Germination
Week 9	Three week review and test/Types of leaves/Leaf Posters
Week 10	Parts of  a plant
Week 11	Parts of  a plant Cont./Parts of a plant posters
Week 12	Review and Test/ Plant Reproduction
Week 13	Plant Reproduction Cont.
Week 14	Plant Reproduction Cont.
Week 15	Review and Test/Biomes and Habitats
Week 16	Biomes and Habitats Cont.
Week 17	Biomes Project
Week 18	Review and Test

Also, activities will include:

Collecting seeds

Germinating seeds

Growing plants

Planting a garden...?

Supplies you will need for this class:

A folder with a pocket and brads

Notebook paper

Pencil or pen every day

Optional: Colored pencils, a phone

Biome Project

1) You may choose to do your project on
only one biome or choose several biomes.

2) Decide what format you will use:
Poster? Blog? Something else?

3) You must include information on the following for the biome:

     a) Environment: weather, sunlight, temperature, yearly               precipitation

b) Soil type

c) Animals

d) Plants: What types are the dominant species,
explain characteristic of the plants

4) Each person must submit at least one page
of writing to go with project

5) There must be visual components

Gynosperm Reproduction

What is a gymnosperm? ____________________________________

What is reproduction?______________________________________

The reproductive part of a gymnosperm is called the cone. Did you know cones can be male or female? Male cones are fuzzy and smaller than female cones. Male cones produce pollen. Each grain of pollen contains two tiny sperm cells (the male reproductive cells.)

Paragraph one summary: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The pollen grains have tiny balloons that help them float through the air. They have to be able to float a long way so they have a better chance of finding the female cones. Many pollen grains don’t make it very far, so the plants have to release millions of pollen grains. Most of the pollen ends up not finding a female cone and ends up all over the ground and other plants.

Paragraph two summary: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The pollen grains that land on a female cone attach themselves to a part called a scale. The scale contains two two female parts called ovules. Inside the ovules are eggs. When the pollen gets stuck on the end of an ovule, it grows a tube to the egg. Only one of the two sperm can enter the egg. Mother nature is very competitive.

Paragraph three summary: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When the sperm joins the egg, a zygote is formed. This is a single celled organism. Then the zygote cell begins to divide and it turns into an embryo. The ovule around the embryo becomes hard to make a protective covering. The embryo now becomes a seed. When the seeds are ready, the female cone opens and the seed drop out. This whole process takes two years.

Paragraph four summary: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The seeds do not have to start growing immediately. They can wait many years to germinate. Some pine trees only drop their seeds when there is a forest fire. During the fire the cones open and drop the seeds. After the fire, all the trees a burned down making room for the new trees to begin growing.

Paragraph five summary: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Questions:

1. Which cones produce pollen, male or female?

____________________________________________________________________________

2. What is inside the pollen?

____________________________________________________________________________

3. What happens to most of the pollen?

____________________________________________________________________________

4. Where are the ovules located?

____________________________________________________________________________

5. What is inside the ovules?

____________________________________________________________________________

6. What happens when the sperm joins the egg?

____________________________________________________________________________

7. What does fire do to some pines?

____________________________________________________________________________

Plant Reproduction

How do plants reproduce?

Flowers not only look pretty but, in fact, are important in making seeds. Flowers have some basic parts. The female part is the pistil. The pistil usually is located in the center of the flower and is made up of three parts: the stigma,style, and ovary. The stigma is the sticky knob at the top of the pistil. It is attached to the long, tubelike structure called the style. The style leads to the ovary that contains the female egg cells called ovules.

The male parts are called stamens and usually surround the pistil. The stamen is made up of two parts: the anther and filament. The anther produces pollen (male reproductive cells). The filament holds the anther up.

During the process of fertilization, pollen lands on the stigma, a tube grows down the style and enters the ovary. Male reproductive cells travel down the tube and join with the ovule, fertilizing it. The fertilized ovule becomes the seed, and the ovary becomes the fruit.

Petals are also important parts of the flower, because they help attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies and bats. You can also see tiny green leaf-like parts called sepals at the base of the flower. They help to protect the developing bud.

Plant Parts Notes

Seeds

Why do plants have seeds?

Seed contain the young plant which allows the plant to reproduce

People use some seeds as food

Seeds come in a variety of shapes and sizes

The first type of seed is “naked seeds” whose seeds develop inside a cone

The second type of seed is an “enclosed seed.”

 

It can be encased by fruit or in a dry fruit like nuts

 The third type of seed is an “aggregate fruit” like raspberries

Parts of the seed include the seed coat, the embryo, the radicle, hypocotyl, epicotyl, the cotyledon, endosperm and megagametophyte

The Root of the Matter 

Vegetative matter consists of stems, roots and leaves. 


The roots grow down because of gravity.

Roots hold the plant in the ground, help them move water and nutrients from the ground and store energy

There are two basic types of roots fibrous (many roots almost the same size) and taproot (one long root which grows straight down into the soil)

The main roots is known as the primary root and it may grow secondary roots. Each root is protected by root cap and many roots grow root hairs which absorb most of the water and nutrients

Some roots are attached to other plants. They anchor to the host plant and they can take water and minerals the air and from the host


Plants also grow in water. The roots still absorb water and minerals, but they don’t anchor the plant

Stems

Stems vary greatly in appearance. They grow up against gravity.

 Stems have three jobs: Hold up leaves so they can get sunlight. They store food and water. And they most importantly transport food and water between the leaves and roots

Stems contain three types of tissue: Xylem which move water up and phloem which move food down. The third type of tissue is cambium which is the growth tissue that makes new xylem and phloem

There are two types of stems. Herbaceous plants have stem that are soft and green and can be bent because they don’t have a lot of xylem and phloem. These plants live only one year and are called annual plants.

The next type of stem is rough, woody and usually brownish. These are called woody plants. Includes trees and shrubs. They can live for many years and are called perennial plants. Xylem and phloem in perennial plants form rings around the stems. Each year another layer of xylem and phloem is made. This is why you can seed growth rings in plants which tell each year a plant has been alive.

Aerial stems grow straight above the ground. Runners grow along the ground. Grass and strawberries have runners.

Some stems are subterranean (grow underground). Bulbs are actually stems with many leaves.

Rhizomes grow away from the root beneath the ground. Sometimes rhizomes

Leaves

Leaves produce food for the plants using photosynthesis

Leaves have two parts the blade (flat thin green part) and petiole (small stem that attaches the blade to the plant)

Outside wax-like substance that prevents the leaf from losing water is called the cuticle

The first layer of plant cells is called the upper epidermis. This is where the cutin is made (stuff the cuticle is made of)

The middle of the leaf is called the mesophyll which has a of palisade cells near the upper epidermis and spongy cells below that. These tissues have the chlorophyll

The final layer of the epidermis is called the lower epidermis. It has tiny holes called stomata. It also has guard cells which determine the size of the stomata

The stomata do several jobs. For example, the allow carbon dioxide into the plant and release oxygen. And they finally they release water through a process called transpiration

Plants can transpire a lot of water

A simple leaf has only one leaf blade

Leaves that have more than one leaf are called a compound leaf. If the leaf blades are arranged in rows on both sides, it is called pinnately compound leaf. If the leaf blades start at a central point its called a palmately compound leaf

Parallel veins are duh… parallel (like train tracks)

Net veined leaves have a single main vein with smaller veins branching off of it. Pinnately-veined leaves has one main vein with smaller veins branching off. Palmately-veined leaves have more than one main vein with smaller veins branching off

Veins in leaves have two purposes. First, they help support the leaf so it can get enough sunlight. Second, they help water, nutrients and glucose travel through the plant

Alternating leaves have the first leaf attached to one side of the stem and the next leaf is attached to the other side of the stem.

Spiraling leaves seem to circle around the plant at their point of attachment.

Oppositional leaves attach at the same level, but at opposite sides of the stem.

Decussate leaves attach at a right angle to the previous leaves.

Whorled leaves have more than two leaves attached to the stem at the same level.