Introduction to the world of plants
It has been a month and some days since I joined steemit and I have enjoyed every moment of it. Perhaps part of it is due to the great support I have been getting from steemstem management, members and steemians in general. I have written on wide range of topics including health, science generally, jokes, motivations etc. It has been a little here, a little there. However, as a Botanist/Microbiologist, it is imperative on me to elucidate the world of plants to my readers and the entire steemians at large. Therefore, I have resolved to dedicate my next few posts in unraveling the world of plants.
Why is the study of plants so important?
To be honest, I did not really know much about plants until I got admitted into the university to study Botany. Generally in Africa, it is only recently that life sciences are gaining a bit of attention. Most often when we were in school, we use to feel inferior to those students studying medicine and engineering. However, I seem to know better now.
Man and other animals depends completely on plants for food and drugs, raw materials, fuel and many other benefits. Plants are responsible for all the energy available to living organisms on the planet and this has been well discussed in one of my posts titled "how every life on earth is powered by the sun". They occupy the position of primary producer in the food chain and food web as well as been responsible for fixing carbon which is an important element in living organisms.
Through the process of carbon fixation, oxygen is concurrently released which is also an important substance in the breaking down of food materials in living organisms to unlock the energy necessary for driving various metabolic processes. Just as good as they are, plants also carry out some activities which may be dangerous to man such as food spoilage, weed and unwanted fermentation. Therefore, the study of plants is as important as the existence of man on the planet earth itself.
Plant is life
What are plants and how are they different from other living organisms?
According to earlier biological classification, all living organisms were divided into two kingdoms - plantae or animalia. In this kind of classification, all bacteria and fungi were classified under plant even though they cannot manufacture their own foods. However, the most recent classification divides living organisms into five separate kingdoms namely monera which include all bacteria and archea, protista, fungi, plantae and animalia.
classify living organisms
Plants have simply been defined as any organism that is capable of utilizing the solar energy from the sun to manufacture its own food. They are quite distinguishable from animals based on three principal criteria;
- Plants obtain their foods holophytically while animals obtain theirs holozoically,
- Plants have cellulose cell walls while animals do not; and
- Plants are generally immobile while animals are mobile.
Divisions of the plant kingdom
As said earlier, classification initially included fungi, monerans and protists in the plant kingdom. However, for the purpose of my own discussion, I will be adopting Eichler's grouping of 1883 which is shown in the table below:
| Plant division | Class |
|---|---|
| Thallophta | Phycotinae (the algae), Mycotinae (the fungi) |
| Bryophyta | Hepaticae (Liverworts), Musci (Mosses) |
| Pteridophyta | Psylotinae (Psilotum), Lycopodinae (club mosses), Selaginellinae (Selaginella), Filicinae (the ferns) |
| Spermatophyta | Gymnospermae (non-flowering seed plants), Angiospermae (flowering seed plants) |
In summary
The study of plants is an important aspect of life sciences, perhaps the most important. This is due to the important roles plant plays in our daily lives as humans. Plants were classified earlier to include bacteria and archea but the most recent classification put them in separate kingdoms. The sub-divisions of plant include thallophta, bryophta, pteridophyta and spermatophyta which each group constituting an interesting group of plants.
In my next post, I will be discussing about each division of the plant kingdom and it promises to be an interesting one. Till then, your comments, contributions and upvotes are welcomed and sincerely appreciated.
The plant kingdom is very diverse. Very informative post.
yea...quite diverse. I hope to do justice to it
The most diversed group of living organisms by miles
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STOPgood post brother and very interesting the theme of the natural
thanks carlos :)
Thanks for this very educative post bro. Now I have more crucial and important knowledge of plants.
you are welcome blessing. still more to come
Hey man, do you know Ernst Haeckel? :D
:) he is my cousin
Hello @gentleshaid
Truly, plant is life. Anyone curious will always be interested in plants. I too for one, love plants and always fascinated. If I could choose to be a different creation, maybe I'll choose to be a lichen. Lol.
Life sciences will always be important and never inferior to Medicine or engineering. I hope to enlighten the coming generations as they too might not know.
Thanks for this wonderful piece, never knew Aristotle was the first to classify living organisms. My Zoology and Botany lectures must not hear about this. Sshh. Lol
@learnandteach01
Aristotle did a lot work during his days. Some we're rubbish while some formed the basis of some important phenomenon as we have them today. We could still be here and be thinking life arose spontaneously courtesy Arosttotle :)
Plants and humans are two opposite side of a coin yet one can't do with out the other. If closely studied you find out that not only is it necessary for man but also for the planet at larg... Thank you for this information Mr. Saheed
Its Adediji from Oui 2016, it's really nice seeing people I know here.
Upvoted and followed.
Thanks Mr Steve. Great to have you here