Biological Sciences
Plant Biology
Plant biology is the study of plant life, including their structure, growth, reproduction, metabolism, and interactions with the environment. It encompasses a wide range of topics such as plant anatomy, physiology, genetics, ecology, and evolution. Understanding plant biology is crucial for addressing global challenges related to food security, environmental sustainability, and human health.
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4 Key excerpts on "Plant Biology"
eBook - PDFUsing the Biological Literature
A Practical Guide, Fourth Edition
- Diane Schmidt(Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
213 CHAPTER 10 Plant Biology Botany is “the scientific study of plants, including their anatomy, morphology, physi-ology, biochemistry, taxonomy, cytology, genetics, evolution, and geographical dis-tribution” ( Oxford Dictionary of Biology , 4th ed., 2000). In this chapter, the terms botany and Plant Biology will be used interchangeably. In practice, botany may carry the connotation of taxonomic studies, while Plant Biology is often the preferred “modern” term for the entire field. The study of botany has a long and distinguished history. This fact, coupled with the complexity of the subject as it has grown from descriptive botany to the molecu-lar plant sciences, is reflected in its literature, producing a complicated and often confusing array of resources. For the purposes of this book, Plant Biology encom-passes the literature of botany and the plant kingdom, including fungi. This chapter does not include agriculture, forestry, horticulture, or any of the applied areas of plant science, except biotechnology and medicinal plants. The field of Plant Biology overlaps significantly with other areas of biology, so also check Chapter 3, “General Sources”; Chapter 5, “Biochemistry and Biophysics”; Chapter 7, “Genetics, Biotechnology, and Developmental Biology”; and Chapter 8, “Microbiology and Immunology” for more useful resources. ABSTRACTS AND INDEXES Current Awareness Bibliography of Systematic Mycology. v. 1–, 1947–. Kew, UK: CAB International. Biannual. Price varies. ISSN 0006-1573. Lists papers and books on all aspects of the taxonomy of fungi compiled from world literature. Each issue has an author and classified index and book reviews of interest to botanists. Freely available online as part of Index Fungorum at http:// www.indexfungorum.org/BSM/bsm.asp. Current Awareness in Biological Sciences . v. 1–, 1972–. New York: Elsevier. Monthly. $232.00. ISSN 0306-4484. 214 USING THE BIOLOGICAL LITERATURE Competitor to Biological Abstracts but not as comprehensive.
eBook - PDF- Gloria Coruzzi, Rodrigo Gutiérrez, Gloria Coruzzi, Rodrigo Gutiérrez(Authors)
- 2009(Publication Date)
- Wiley-Blackwell(Publisher)
Today, in addition to their fundamental ecological importance plants are essential for humans as the main source of food, provide raw materials for many types of industry and chemicals for medical applications. It is thus daunting to realize how little we understand about plant systems. To date, only approxi-mately 15% of the genes of Arabidopsis thaliana , the most explored model system for plant biologists, have been characterized experimentally. Systems biology of-fers the opportunity to increase our understanding of plants as living organisms, by generating a holistic view of the organism grounded at the molecular level. In this chapter, we discuss the basics of systems biology, the data and tools we need for systems research and how it can be used to produce an integrated view of Plant Biology. We finish with a discussion of case studies, published examples of plant systems biology research and their impact on our knowledge of plants as integrated systems. Keywords: network; Arabidopsis; genomics; bioinformatics; modelling; data integration 3 4 Plant Systems Biology 1.1 Introduction 1.1.1 Systems thinking What is systems biology? We advocate a definition anchored in the general systems theory: ‘The exercise of integrating the existing knowledge about bio-logical components, building a model of the system as a whole and extracting the unifying organizational principles that explain the form and function of living organisms.’ Systems thinking is not a new trend, but dates back to the end of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s. One of the pioneers of systems thinking was the Russian philosopher Alexandr Bogdanov (1873–1928). His interests and writings ranged from social, to biological and physical sciences. His work anticipated in many important ways Norbert Weiner’s ‘ Cybernetics ’ and Ludwig von Bertalanffy’s ‘ General Systems Theory ’.
eBook - PDF- Alan R. Hemsley, Imogen Poole(Authors)
- 2004(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
All would agree that there is a relationship but few would agree how close it is. The fact that books have been written on plant biochemistry with very little discussion of the physiology of plants shows that families can lose touch with each other. The aim of this chapter is to show that a functional understanding of plants can be gained by integrating physiological and biochemical knowledge. Our attempts to bring about integration start with an evolutionary prospective. When introductory biochemistry is taught, there is a tendency initially to concentrate on the central metabolic pathways of ‘the cell’. The default cell is usually mammalian. Plant cells are usually treated as unusual, but only in so far as they have walls and chloroplasts. This emphasis on the commonality of the basic metabolism of organisms is helpful to those learning the subject but it does tend to limit conceptual approaches to biochemistry. The reality is that most cells are biochemical specialists. Evolution has selected for biochemical traits of cells that are appropriate for their particular cellular environment in a manner analogous to the selection of organisms that are more suited to their environment. This specialization is found in both unicellular and multicellular organisms. However, in multicellular organisms, higher order coordination and control – physiological processes – can have a marked effect on the environment of specialist cells. To provide this coordination, specialist cells have evolved to play a central role in controlling many plant physiological processes (e.g. gas exchange is regulated by the guard cells, abscission depends on the abscission layer, seed reserve mobilization in grasses is dependent on the aleurone cells, etc.). Consequently there will be very clear links between physiological and biochemical processes.
eBook - PDFThe New Walford Guide to Reference Resources
Volume 1: Science. Technology and Medicine
- R G Lester(Author)
- 2004(Publication Date)
- Facet Publishing(Publisher)
The book has four main parts covering: Plant structure; Plant physiology and development; Genetics and evolution (includes an overview of the diversity of prokaryotes, fungi, algae and plants); Ecology. The book does not include a bibliography but does have a glossary and subject index. The accompanying website provides an online glossary and links to related websites and organizations. 2179 Botany online: the internet hypertextbook A. Bergfeld, R. Bergmann and P . von Sengbusch www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/e00/contents.htm English translation of an online textbook originally published in German. It currently includes nine sections: Introduction (history of botany, identifying plants); Anatomy of cells and tissues; Classic genetics; Molecules and molecular reactions in plant cells; Intercellular communication; Interactions between plants and fungi, bacteria, viruses; Evolution; The plant kingdom: an overview; Ecology. The site also includes a collection of links to related sites. Introduction to world forestry: people and their trees J. Westoby See entry no. 3194 2180 Marine botany C.J. Dawes 2nd edn, Wiley, 1998, 480pp. $120.00. ISBN 0471192082. This book provides an overview of marine plants and their biology. The 12 chapters cover general topics, e.g. light, salinity, water movement, the impact of humans, etc. as well as looking at specific ecosystems, e.g. salt marshes, mangals and coral reefs. Two appendices cover techniques used in the study of marine plants and the uses of algae. A large bibliography is included along with taxonomic and subject indexes. 2181 Molecular mechanisms of photosynthesis R.E. Blankenship Blackwell Science, 2002, 321pp. £32.50. ISBN 0632043210. Introductory textbook aimed at advanced undergraduates and postgraduate students. Provides a good overview including chapters on the history of photosynthesis research as well as on the more complex areas.
Index pages curate the most relevant extracts from our library of academic textbooks. They’ve been created using an in-house natural language model (NLM), each adding context and meaning to key research topics.
