Introduction to Plants and Botany

Outline of Topics (Prelim)

Unit 1
• Introduction to Plants and Botany
• Introduction to the Principles of Chemistry
Unit 2- Plant Structure
• Cell Structure
• Growth and Division of the Cell
• Tissues and the Primary Growth of Stems
• Leaves
• Roots
• Structure of Woody Plants
• Flowers and Reproduction
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

At end of the unit 1, the students should be able to:

1.Define what is botany and discuss its relationship to the practice of

Pharmacy
2.Memorize and apply the scientific method in their reports.
3.Explain the mechanisms of chemical reactions
4.Define and explain atoms and molecules
5.Enumerate and explain the functions of carbohydrates,amino
acids,nucleic acids and lipid
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

At end of the unit 1, the students should be able to:

1. Draw and identify the different components of a cell

2. Explain the phases of cell division
3.Discuss and identify the different plants structures such
as the leaves,stem,roots and flowers
Branches of Science
Botany

• is the scientific study of

plants
Why study Botany?

Plants are the source of many

important products such as:

• Food (including grass for animals)

• Cotton and other fabrics
• Paper
• Wood
• Coal and oil
• Antibiotics and other medicines
The Scientific Method
• developed in 1400s
• Several fundamental tenets were established.
1. Source of information- all accepted
information can be derived only from carefully
documented and controlled observations or
experiments
2. Phenomena that can be studied must be
tangible eg. heat ,plants,mineral and weather
3. Constancy and universality - Physical forces
in the world remain constant
4. Basis- Skepticism
The Main Areas of Botany

• Plant anatomy: the structure of plants

• Plant physiology: the function of parts of the plant
• Plant taxonomy: the classification of plants
• Plant ecology: the interactions of plants and other species
• Genetics: the study of inheritance
• Economic botany: the practical uses of plants and plant
products.
Biological Classification

• Organisms are classified (put into groups) using this

system devised by the Swedish biologist Linnaeus,
around 1750.
Taxonomic Classification

• Kingdom Plant
• Phylum ( Phyla ) Magnoliophyta
• Class Monocots
(Liliopsida)
• Order Commelinales
• Family Poaceae (grasses)
• Genus ( Genera ) Zea
• Species mays
Kingdoms of Life
Introduction to the Principles of Chemistry
Attributes of Living things

• Composed of cells.
• Growth
• Reproduction
• Respond to stimuli
• Metabolism
• Movement
• Complexity
• Adaptation and evolution
Macromolecules

• very large molecules,

made of hundreds, or
thousands, of atoms.
• Many are polymers : large
molecules made of similar,
small monomers joined
together
Types of Macromolecules in living things

1. Carbohydrates
2. Lipids
3. Proteins
4. Nucleic Acids
Monomers of Macromolecules
Carbohydrates
• Carbohydrates contain C , H and
O. They are made of simple sugars
called monosaccharides.

• In animals, carbohydrates are used

primarily for short-term energy
storage.

• In plants, however, carbohydrates

are not only used for energy
storage, but also make up the main
structure of the organism itself
Types of Carbohydrates

1. Monosaccharides - simple sugars

2. Disaccharides- consist of 2 monosaccharides

joined by condensation synthesis

3. Polysaccharides - made of many

monosaccharides
Monosaccharides
Disaccharides
Polysaccharide
Proteins

• Proteins contain C , H , O
and N. They are made of
amino acids joined
together.
• There are 20 different
amino acids.
• Proteins are found in cell
membranes, seeds and as
enzymes
Protein Structure

• Primary structure : the order of amino acids.

• Secondary structure : the protein folds, and

is held by hydrogen bonds.

• Tertiary structure : covalent or ionic bonds

between different side chains of the protein.

• Quaternary : subunits
Amino Acids
Nucleic acids

• Nucleic acids contain C , H

, O , N and P. They are
made of nucleotides, (
phosphate, sugar and
base )

• DNA or RNA
DNA

• Deoxyribonucleic acid

• The code on DNA carries information the cell needs

to make proteins ( the primary structure).

• has deoxyribose as the sugar. It has 4 bases :

Adenine Thymine
Guanine Cytosine
RNA

• Ribonucleic acid

• RNA has ribose as the sugar.

• RNA has 4 bases : with Uracil instead of Thymine.

• RNA is a single strand. RNA moves from the

nucleus of the cell to the cytoplasm to allow the cell
to make proteins ( mRNA : messenger RNA ).
Central Dogma
Lipids

• Lipids contain C , H , and

O.
• Lipids do not dissolve in
water.
• Lipids can be fats,
phospholipids , waxes or
steroids
Fats

• Fats are made of glycerol and 3 fatty acids.

• They are used for energy storage.

• Saturated fats : no double bonds (only single bonds);

straight molecules ; solids ; found in animals ; eg butter

• Unsaturated fats : have 1 or more double bonds ; bent

molecules ; liquids; in plants ; eg corn oil
Phospholipids.

• Phospholipids are made of

glycerol, 2 fatty acids and
phosphate.
• Part of the molecule is
hydrophobic, part is
hydrophilic.
• Phospholipids make up
most of the cell
membrane.
Waxes

• Waxes consist of a fatty acid joined to an

alcohol.

• They are used for waterproofing in plants (

and some animals )