The study of plant life; e.g. angiosperms, gymnosperms, bryophytes, pteridophytes, and algae.
12
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2answers
1k views
How will rising carbon dioxide levels in the troposphere affect photosynthetic producers?
Much discussion has been had about the affects of climate change on plantlife, but how will rising carbon dioxide concentrations affect the photosynthetic process itself? Since CO2 is a reagent in ...
0
votes
0answers
15 views
Resource plant anatomy/lifecycle vocabulary
I've been curious about a lot of vocabulary words in the world of botany. I've had quite a bit of trouble finding somewhere online to help me out, but I'm having some trouble finding a resource like ...
0
votes
0answers
33 views
Why aren't antheridia and archegonia touching?
Antheridia and archegonia are the two male and female gametangia, respectively, and they are found in bryophytes. To cause fertilization, usually a thin film of water must be present for the sperm ...
8
votes
1answer
110 views
Can plants get cancer?
I can't think of any reason why plants wouldn't be able to get cancer, but I've never heard of a plant growing a tumor. I've also never seen a plant with a noticeable abnormal growth. Can plants get ...
4
votes
0answers
27 views
What controls leaf senescence in deciduous tree species, and how can I predict it?
If I want to predict litterfall, what data do I need to collect, and what statistical model might I use?
For example, I might use the following coding to record phenological stage every other day, or ...
4
votes
1answer
121 views
How does plant grafting work?
Plant grafting is a process whereby a piece of one plant is inserted into another and results in a change of the original plant. For example, grafting a piece of a lemon tree into a bitter orange tree ...
3
votes
1answer
37 views
Why seeds won't sprout given excess water?
What would cause a seed to not sprout despite showing signs of germination given excess water? Oxygen, temperature, and light were sufficient for germination and sprouting in seeds of a slightly ...
9
votes
4answers
158 views
What was the reason for some plant and animals to become giant in course of evolution?
The dinosaurs, mammoths, giant plants etc are known to be bigger than modern animals. I wonder why they had been lived and why they are not living now? I really don't know much but is it something ...
2
votes
2answers
887 views
How do trees use Adhesion and Cohesion to move water against gravity?
I have an AP Bio class where I have to name 3 properties of water and I chose adhesion and cohesion for one of them. I'm having trouble finding out how exactly trees use adhesion and cohesion to move ...
6
votes
2answers
153 views
What's the difference between a plant and an animal?
Are there some living things where the distinction between plant and animal is blurry or unclear? I wouldn't know where to put something like yeast. I also thought of photosynthesis, but then I ...
3
votes
2answers
48 views
What chemical or biochemical agents do plants use to inhibit each other's growth?
As I just learned, allelopathy is the action by which plants regulate the growth of other nearby plants.
I have hear of ethylene is a general signal for growth and fruit ripening in particular, but ...
3
votes
1answer
3k views
What factors affect the rate of transpiration in plant leaves?
I'm trying to get my head around factors which affect transpiration in leaves.
For example, how would applying petroleum jelly to the surface of plant leaves affect their rate of transpiration?
I ...
2
votes
1answer
30 views
Do plant-plant interactions inhibit growth?
Plants produce lots of compounds that inhibit (kill or irritate) microorganisms and insects. They have defenses against plant viruses and infections.
What kinds of compounds or hormones to plants ...
1
vote
1answer
43 views
Is it ok for Chili pepper plant's fruits to fall into its soil?
I wonder if Chili pepper's fruits which fall into the soil near the plant will harm it, since the peppers are so spicy for people.
5
votes
1answer
48 views
What mechanisms tell temperate trees when to drop leaves?
I've been looking around and cannot find a definite answer on what it is that tells trees to change their metabolism and drop leaves. I see that such activity is called Deciduous.
What interests me ...
2
votes
1answer
129 views
Why do the sick and unhealthy trees leaf out first in spring?
It's spring. The time of year that trees start to leaf out. I have been watching them, and noticed an interesting pattern. The unhealthy trees of a species leafs out first. I've noticed this ...
2
votes
2answers
79 views
Filamentous algae - what exactly am I looking at?
I have just taken some images with my light microscope at 400x of (what I think is) some form of filamentous algae from a local pond.
Now, I think I am looking at a single cell (centre) with some ...
7
votes
1answer
206 views
What's the name of the fibrous strands that hold the seeds in a pumpkin?
If you cut open a pumpkin, the seeds are suspended inside the pumpkin by some fibrous, slimey strands. You can see them in the middle of this sliced-open pumpkin:
I'm writing a post for the ...
10
votes
2answers
124 views
How deep in the soil can a seed be placed and still develop into a plant/tree?
The selected answer to How does a plant grow before photosynthesis is possible? indicates that a sprout grows beneath the soil using the food stored within the seed.
Does this limited ready food ...
8
votes
0answers
82 views
How would a warm winter affect maple sap production?
The past winter (2011-2012) was warmer than usual.
Trees are normally tapped in late February when the daily maximum temperature goes above freezing. However, assuming that there have been ...
3
votes
1answer
20 views
Mutation in axillary buds of trees overcoming self-incompatability?
I seem to recall from either reading or lecture that there have been instances of trees that are self-incompatible accumulating enough mutations in an axillary bud that the resulting branch was able ...
3
votes
1answer
114 views
Does cooking or ripening reduce the concentration of solanine in nightshade?
I recall a story from one of my Botany professors where he encountered a woman picking Solanum dulcamara (nightshade) berries. When he asked her what she was doing with them, she responded that her ...
30
votes
4answers
1k views
Why do plants have green leaves and not red?
I know plants are green due to chlorophyll.
Surely it would be more beneficial for plants to be red than green as by being green they reflect green light and do not absorb it even though green light ...
2
votes
2answers
122 views
Why is the floral biodiversity of grazed grassland higher than that of mown grassland?
I have collected some data to compare the biodiversity of a field in which the plagioclimax is maintained by machine mowing with a field in which the plagioclimax is maintained by sheep grazing.
What ...
3
votes
0answers
82 views
How does a plant decide when to grow a branch?
As a plant grows, at some point the first branch forms. As it continues, branches grow new branches, and so on, in a seemingly random way. Is it random, or is it driven by the environment (heat or ...
24
votes
4answers
355 views
How does the sensitive plant detect vibrations?
The sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) is a remarkable little plant whose characteristic feature is its ability to droop its leaves when disturbed:
Apparently, this ability to droop rests on the cells ...
8
votes
2answers
213 views
What kind of fruit is this?
Just spotted this fruit while walking to school. It's the size of a small coin.The taste is almost sour and tangy and somewhat sweet (I only tried one of them and very little of it). I admit, ...
7
votes
1answer
220 views
Why are some berries poisonous?
In my understanding, the evolutional function of berries is to be eaten and pood out somewhere else, so that the seeds of the plant spread. Is this so? Then why are some berries poisonous?
3
votes
1answer
449 views
Online course on Plant Taxonomy and Physiology
After following a course in Permaculture, I realised that if I want to get serious about it, I need to be able to distinguish plants. So I am looking for an online Video course on Plant Taxonomy and ...
10
votes
1answer
4k views
How to store vegetables in the refrigerator: In plastic bags or not?
My wife and I are having a debate similar to this one:
I claim that it's better to take the fresh veggies out of the bags and put them in the crisper with humidity control because:
That's what the ...
7
votes
1answer
254 views
Can any plant regenerate missing tissue?
I have not yet found a plant that, when an insect eats a hole in one of its leaves, it can regenerate the lost tissue. Many plants will grow a new stem if the old one is cut, but it is not a perfect ...
10
votes
3answers
139 views
Most suitable biodiversity index
I am conducting an investigation into the effect of two different grass management techniques (grazing vs. machine-mowing) upon floral biodiversity.
I have collected my data and now need to process ...
3
votes
0answers
54 views
Are mature trees as susceptible to mutation from exposure to radiation as seedlings?
If a plant, say a ficus or a teak, as a sapling were exposed to radiation, and a tree of the same species were present at the same distance, which of the two would be more likely to mutate?
13
votes
1answer
208 views
Do trees age on a microscopic level?
Most animals age via at least two mechinisms:
at a "macroscopic" level, basically wear and tear to the point where (on evolutionary time scales) it's more genetically advantageous to optimize for ...
5
votes
1answer
189 views
Photosynthetic Pigments vs. Chloroplasts
What is the difference between Photosynthetic Pigments and Chloroplasts? I know plants have both but Prokaryotes (Bacteria and Archeae) only have the former.
1
vote
0answers
20 views
Photosynthesis/Plants Question [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How long will a vegetable live for after being harvested?
Exactly when do plants "die," as in stop functioning to live? If, for example, you pick a plant and start to ...
37
votes
3answers
568 views
Is there a reason why human eyesight and plants make use of the same wavelength of light?
The accepted range for the wavelengths of light that the human eye can detect is roughly between 400nm and 700nm. Is it a co-incidence that these wavelengths are identical to those in the ...
6
votes
1answer
125 views
What's a good reference for choosing histological staining chemicals?
It's often difficult to find the appropriate or best stain to use when I want to examine a new type of tissue. I think that's partly because many histological techniques were developed a long time ...
6
votes
1answer
63 views
Do any plants exhibit hormonal changes similar to puberty?
Just what the title states.
Are there any plants/trees that exhibit a growth spurt at a definite interval after the shoot appears?
15
votes
4answers
350 views
How do trees manage to grow equally in all directions?
I was walking down a road with these beautifully huge trees when this question occurred to me.
Large trees with many thick branches have to grow equally in all directions, or they would tip over. Is ...
11
votes
1answer
147 views
Why do some trees have a life span, while some don't?
I have heard that there is no limit on the growth of trees, but then why do some trees, such as boxelders and poplars, tend to live shorter than redwoods, for example? Some advertisements for improved ...
9
votes
2answers
818 views
Did animals evolve from plants?
Did animals evolve from plants? Did the animals' ancentors have chloroplasts in their cells?
11
votes
2answers
117 views
How to decide which is the correct scientific name for a particular species
To start with, I am not a person having sound knowledge in biology. When I started my search for phyto-chemicals in a particular family in the plant kingdom, I got confused. The scientific papers use ...
11
votes
2answers
246 views
Are there any plants that fix their own nitrogen?
I know that most nitrogen is fixed through industrial processes and bacterial symbiotic relationships. However, are there any plants that can fix their own atmospheric nitrogen?
3
votes
1answer
95 views
List of species recently found of economic value
Is there a website or organization cataloging lists of biological species to have been recently found of great economic value? For example, a plant that wasn't of economic relevance a while ago but ...
7
votes
1answer
77 views
Can fruit tissue be cultured and grown independent from the plant?
Can fruit tissue be grown in a tissue culture as is done to other plant tissues? From the answer to this question, I learned that fruit is alive. Could it be possible to manufacture fruit products ...
4
votes
1answer
99 views
How do plants intake minerals through their leaves?
How do plants intake the fertilizer when it is sprayed all over the leaf surface as a foliar feed?
17
votes
4answers
801 views
Do trees really get a large share of their mass from the carbon in the air?
I remember hearing that trees and other plants actually obtain a large amount of their mass from the carbon floating in the air, not the ground beneath them. Does the makeup of air actually contain ...
5
votes
1answer
34 views
Why are some plants frost tender?
Why do some plants have the ability to stand frost, while others can't? Does it have to do with the size of the water vacuoles in the plant cells?
8
votes
1answer
312 views
Does the use of “var”, “x”, and/or “ssp” in a scientific name provide specific information?
What exactly does it mean when a plant has a scientific name that specifies a vairety, for example Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides, or when the name includes an "x", as in Populus ...
