BZ 120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Main Stem, Autotroph, Photosynthesis
Document Summary
Notes lecture 1: botany, historical foundations of botany. Botany: the scientific study of plants and plant-like organisms. Green plants are autotrophic (self-feeding), meaning they make their own food through photosynthesis. Animals are heterotrophic (other-feeding), meaning they are dependent on plants or something that ate plants for energy. Plants are primary producers, meaning they are at the base of the food chain. Photosynthesis is a gas exchange reaction; carbon dioxide is taken in, oxygen is produced. Uses of plants: plants absorb carbon and store it in their bodies, which is why they can serve as food and energy sources (biofuels, fossil fuels energy was fixed by plants 200-400 million years ago). Plants also serve as food and medicine for humans; they are also aesthetically pleasing. Theophrastus- father of botany, student of aristotle, wrote several books on plants, introduced. Parts (organs) make up the body of a plant; stem is the aboveground axis of a plant body.
