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3: Introduction to Plant Science
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3.1: Plants in our Lives
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In Chapter 1, you’ll discover what horticulture is and how it relates to other disciplines that involve the cultivation of plants, and take a deep dive into the different types of scientific experimentation. Then you’ll explore some of the plant parts that you eat, so you can start thinking about the plants that are all around us and how we use them in our daily lives.
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3.2: 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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3.3: 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).