General Biology 103 ABT: Plant Taxonomy Principles

Importance of Studying Plants

• Plants provide food and energy for all living organisms.
• They serve medicinal purposes and offer fibers for clothing and timber for construction.
• Plants enhance human aesthetics and have various industrial applications (e.g., rubber, gums).
• They maintain Earth's atmosphere by regulating gases like CO2, O2, and O3.
• Plants contribute to environmental healing through pollution reduction and erosion prevention.
• They cycle water and nurture soil, while also aiding in nitrogen and biogeochemical cycles.

Definition of Taxonomy

• Taxonomy is the science of classification and naming of organisms.
• It involves processes such as grouping, ranking, identification, and nomenclature.

Stages of Plant Classification

• Taxonomic classification uses multi-variate features for recognition, including:
  • Alpha: Morphology and Anatomy.
  • Beta: Chemical properties and DNA analysis.

Binomial System of Nomenclature (BSN)

• Developed by Carl Linnaeus in "Species Plantarum" (1753).
• Each organism is named using a two-word Latin name (genus and species).
• Genus is capitalized, while species is written in lowercase; both are italicized or underlined.
• Example: Vicia kalakhensis Khattab et al.

The Universal Tree of Life

• Divided into three primary domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.
• Illustrates evolutionary relationships and origins of life.

Plant Identification Sources

• Botanic gardens, herbaria, and libraries serve as resources for plant identification.

Ways to Identify Plants

• Methods include using keys, computers, and personal communication for information.

Classification Systems

• Approximately 350,000 plant species identified globally, classified through various systems.
• There are 19 divisions of extant plants and 6 divisions of extinct plants.

Kingdoms of Living Organisms

• Four Kingdoms System:

  • Eukaryonta (Kingdoms: Animalia, Myceteae, Phyta) with their respective divisions.
  • Prokaryonta (Kingdom: Monera with divisions: Bacteria, Cyanophyta).

• Five Kingdoms System:

  • Suggested by Margulis (1998); the Protista kingdom is a basal lineage within Plantae, Fungi, and Animalia.

Plant Reproductive Structures

• Perfect flowers contain both androecium (male) and gynoecium (female).
• Imperfect flowers lack either androecium or gynoecium.
• Staminate flowers possess only male structures; pistillate flowers possess only female structures.
• Neutral flowers are sterile, lacking both reproductive structures.

Plant Sexual Systems

• Monoclinous plants have only bisexual flowers.
• Monoecious plants have both staminate and pistillate flowers on the same specimen.
• Dioecious plants have flowers of only one sex.
• Trimonoecious plants exhibit a combination of male, female, and perfect flowers.
• Dichogamous plants have sexes that develop at different times, encouraging outcrossing.

Embryo-sac Formation

• Monospric 8-nuclei method is significant in understanding embryo sac development.

Quiz Questions

• Examples of true/false statements and multiple-choice questions to reinforce learning.
• Questions include identification of specific flower types, understanding of plant features, and classification systems.

These notes provide an overview of key concepts in plant taxonomy and the significance of plants in various contexts, facilitating comprehension and retention of the material presented.