Botany is the study of plants. Plants are defined as multicellular
organisms that carry out photosynthesis - they capture the
sun’s energy with chlorophyll, to make glucose (a simple
sugar) from water and carbon dioxide. In this process, they
also produce the oxygen that is central to life as we know
it.
The plant converts some glucose to cellulose, which is the
material that makes up its stiff cell walls. Glucose also
provides energy and materials to make the specific tissues
of leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds.
Plants (and their glucose) are the basic energy source for
nearly all organisms - they are the foundation of the pyramid
that comprises the food chain.
Plants are critical to life on earth not only because they
supply oxygen and, directly or indirectly, all food. In addition,
their roots anchor soil and trap moisture so that new plants
can grow. Their structures provide homes and shelter to other
living things. They provide shade in which animals can survive
out of the heat of the sun. They recycle and use the waste
products of organisms to feed themselves---carbon dioxide
and ‘fertilizer’ wastes from animals are taken up
to build more plant structures. They are described as ‘the
lungs of the planet’.
What do plants have to do with wildlife and wildlife rehabilitation?
Plants comprise all or part of the diet of many animals (e.g.,
rabbits, ducks, deer, bears). Animals that themselves may
not consume plants (e.g., hawks, swallows, wolves, sharks)
eat other organisms (insects, fish and other prey) that feed
on plants. Plant-eating prey convert the plant substances
into nutrients that are ‘bioavailable’ to predators.
For wildlife species that are plant eaters, we must provide
a variety of suitable plant foods. For wildlife species that
are faunivores (eaters of vertebrates, insects, etc.), we
must provide prey that has been fed suitable plant foods.
We must know something of the nutrients in plants, which
plants are suitable and which plants are harmful. Some plants
are completely edible (stems, flowers, roots, leaves and flowers,
e.g. dandelions), while only the fruits of others are edible.
The nutritional or medicinal properties of plants are determined
by the phytochemicals or ‘plant chemicals’ they
contain. Many plants are intermediate---in modest amounts
they may be healthful, while in large amounts they may be
toxic.
Plants can also be an important physical part of the captive
environment; by providing plants that are natural to wildlife
in aviaries or enclosures, we can enrich the lives of animals
in rehabilitation. Birds can hide and perch on the branches
of a small tree in an aviary; woodpeckers can drum on logs
or find insects in crevices of dead tree trunks. Young raccoons
and squirrels can climb trees and develop their muscles and
abilities. Ducklings can dabble for duckweed if their ponds
are landscaped. Hanging flower baskets or built-in flowerbeds
will attract insects for species that eat them. Plants can
help relieve the stress and boredom of captive animals, give
them comfortable yet varied surroundings, and provide them
with foraging opportunities and exercise.
To learn more about the science of botany, choose one of
the topics below.
General
The
Botanical Society of America
BSA publishes information about the study and inquiry into
the form, function, diversity, reproduction, evolution, and
uses of plants and their interactions within the biosphere.
The website offers information and links.
Plant
Dictionary
A service of Ohio State University and Virginia Tech, the
plant dictionary contains information on more than 1,444 plants.
The
Virtual Library of Botany
This University of Oklahoma website covers topics that include
forestry, agriculture, beer and brewing, biological pest control,
gardening, biochemistry & molecular biology, biodiversity
and ecology, biotechnology, developmental biology, environment,
evolution, genetics, mycology (Fungi) and physiology and biophysics.
The site includes links to many other botany sites.
University
of Wisconsin Madison
The department of botany’s website offers an image server,
course pages and links to other sites.
USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Plants
Database can be searched by scientific name, common name,
symbol, and/or genus. The site includes links to Flora of
North America, state plants and more.
Web
Garden
The University of Ohio’s virtual garden features a university
site search and a fact sheet database with more than 20,000
pages of extension fact sheets and bulletins from 46 different
universities and government institutions across the United
States and Canada.
Plants
of the World
International
Organization for Plant Information
IOPI manages a series of cooperative international projects
that aim to create databases of plant taxonomic information.
Search the global plant check list and the Flora of the World
project.
Botanik
online
The University of Hamburg’s website offers the internet
hypertextbook in German and English. The English version is
still being translated; so far, the first 43 chapters have
been translated into English covering all plant anatomy, classic
genetics, organic chemistry and plant biochemistry, intercellular
communication, interactions between plants, fungi, bacteria,
and viruses, evolution, and a part of ecology. The translation
of the remaining topics proceeds continuously. Some of the
links will therefore still lead you to German information
units.
The
Flora of China
The website’s mirror server is at the Institute of Microbiology,
Beijing; it offers information on more than 30,000 plants,
as well as images, illustrations, data and links.
Poisonous/Toxic
Plants
Cornell
University
The poisonous plants database can be searched by name, species
affected, primary poison, etc. The website includes information
on animals affected by poisonous plants, as well as links
to other sites that offer similar, comprehensive information.
Botanical.com
features the electronic version of A Modern Herbal, first
published in 1931 by Mrs. M. Grieve; it features medicinal,
culinary, cosmetic, cultivation and folk-lore of herbs. The
site offers a plant & herb index with more than 800 varieties
of herbs & plants. The index of recipes includes 29 plants
and recipes. The index of poisons lists 44 poisonous plants.
Professional
Organizations
Botanical
Society of America
The Botanical Society of America exists to promote botany,
the field of basic science dealing with the study and inquiry
into the form, function, diversity, reproduction, evolution,
and uses of plants and their interactions within the biosphere.
To accomplish this mission, the objectives of The Society
are to: sustain and provide improved formal and informal education
about plants; encourage basic plant research; provide expertise,
direction, and position statements concerning plants and ecosystems;
and foster communication within the professional botanical
community, and between botanists and the rest of humankind
through publications, meetings, and committees.
Journals
The
American Journal of Botany (print ISSN 0002-9122,
electronic ISSN 1537-2197) is an internationally recognized
journal accepting refereed research papers on all aspects
of plant biology, published monthly since 1914. In addition
to reports of original research in all areas of plant science,
the Journal contains Rapid Communications, and Special Papers,
which include reviews, critiques and analyses of controversial
subjects. Additional information about library subscriptions
is available from Allen Press.
Free full text articles and abstracts are available online
for issues from Sept. 1998 to present
International
Journal of Plant Sciences
The University of Chicago Press
Emphasizing dynamic rather than purely descriptive work, the
International Journal of Plant Sciences presents important
research from laboratories around the world-research that
seeks the answers to interesting questions in all areas of
the plant sciences. Topics covered include plant-microbe interactions,
development, structure and systematics, molecular biology,
genetics and evolution, ecology, paleobotany, and physiology
and ecophysiology. Founded in 1875 by John M. Coulter, IJPS
has since become one of the major outlets for botanical research.
Subscription only; articles and back issues can be ordered
online. Abstracts online for available issues of the electronic
edition begin with Volume 159, number 6 (November 1998).
International
Journals Listing
Links to the electronic sites of leading international botany,
plant biology and science journals in which articles concerning
plant biology are published. The sites may have selected articles
or entire text online. Some sites are free; others require
registration or paid subscriptions. Many journals have free
"trial" periods.
Newsletters/Magazines
Plant
Cuttings is a free online newsletter that offers
news of current research on plant systematics, biodiversity
and conservation at The Natural History Museum, London (NHM).
Arizona State University Online
Magazine publishes online articles on plant science.
On the home page, choose “life sciences” to find
articles.
Books
A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants:Eastern and Central North America
(Peterson Field Guides)
by Lee Allen Peterson and Roger Tory Peterson
Paperback (September 1, 1999)
Houghton Mifflin Co (Pap)
ISBN:039592622X
