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1: Introduction to the Introduction
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1.1: Plants, Botany, and Kingdoms
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Botany is the scientific study of plants and plant-like organisms. It helps us understand why plants are so vitally important to the world. Plants start the majority of food and energy chains, they provide us with oxygen, food and medicine. Plants can be divided into two groups: plants1 and plants2 . Plants1 contain all photosynthetic organisms which use light, H2O, and CO2 to make organic compounds and O2 . Plants1 are defined ecologically (based on their role in nature).
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1.2: Styles of Life and Basic Chemistry
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Life obtains energy in a few different ways: (1) from sunlight (phototrophy); (2) from chemical reactions with inorganic matter (lithotrophy); (3) from breaking organic molecules into inorganic molecules, typically carbon dioxide and water (organotrophy). To make its body, living beings obtain building blocks either by (a) from the assimilation of carbon dioxide (autotrophy), or from other living beings (heterotrophy).