Botany

Form and Function

Contents:

Genetics


What is Plant Genetics?
Plant Genetics is the study of plant heredity, genes, and gene function.

Basic Information:

Genetic Science Learning Center
(University of Utah)
This site offers a variety of information about genetics in an instructional format.
Mendel's Paper: Experiments in Plant Hybridization (1865)
(MendelWeb)
Read Gregor Mendel's original paper detailing his discovery of the mechanism of genetics using pea plants.  This document includes useful hyperlinks to a Mendel glossary of terms.

Advanced Information:

C-Fern: A Plant for Teaching and Research
(University of Tennessee)
C-Fern, a specially derived cultivar of the tropical homosporous fern, Ceratopteris richardii, is adaptable to teaching a wide range of biological principles. This comprehensive website gives extensive information about ways to teach plant genetics.
Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding: Dendrology
(WWW Virtual Libraries)
Numerous links to dendrology resources are organized and presented in this website.
Gramene: A Comparative Mapping Resources for Grains
(USDA)
Gramene has developed a comparative genome analysis in the grasses. The goal is to facilitate the study of cross-species homology relationships using information derived from public projects involved in genomic and EST sequencing, protein structure and function analysis, genetic and physical mapping, interpretation of biochemical pathways, gene and QTL localization and descriptions of phenotypic characters and mutations.
Plant Genetics
(Cardiff University)
Part of a series titled Essential Genetics, this website contains instructional content concerning plant genetics, with links to further reading and research. In addition, the site's homepage contains many links to genetic resources on the Internet.
Plant Genomics at Cirad
This site is aimed at assisting plant breeding programs. Features molecular analysis of genetic diversity, genome mapping, somatic embryogenesis, and genetic transformation.
World Information and Early Warning System on Plant Genetic Resources
(Food and Agriculture Organization of the Unitd Nations)
This objective of this site is to foster information exchange among Member Countries, by gathering and disseminating information on Plant Genetic Resources (PGR), and as an instrument for the periodic assessment of the state of the world's PGR.

Resources with Extensive Links:

Guide to Internet Resources for Plant Genetics
(Texas Tech University)
The purpose of this guide is to provide a timely, well-designed, and quality resource to the hypertext of plant genetics. Therefore, no attempt is made at comprehensive coverage. Rather, scholarly research oriented information sources are selected and a brief description of each site provided.
Plant Genetics Internet Resources
(University of Strathclyde, Scotland)
A guide to resources on the web. Includes links to databases, teaching resources, and journals that cover such topics as beans, tree genome, rice and many more.
Plant Genome Data and Information Center
(National Agricultural Library of the USDA-ARS)
Links to digitized journal articles and reports, experimental resources, and educational tools are featured on this comprehensive website.

Databases:

Maize Database
(USDA, University of Missouri)
MaizeDB is a comprehensive source of information on the genetics and molecular biology of maize.
Mendel
(John Innes Centre)
Several databases are available on this site, including a database of genes organized by families, and a database of EST and STS sequences annotated with gene family information.
Mendel Plant Gene Nomenclature Database
(UK CropNet)
Develop a common nomenclature for sequenced plant genes. Database lists a range of topics including gene families, products, synonyms, and names, allelic designations and genomes. Other databses also available on this site.
Photosynthetic Mutant Library
(University of Oregon)
Library of transposon induced maize mutants, DNA samples, and phenotypic data, available for the study of chloroplast biogenesis. Includes user guidelines, protocols, and controls.
Plant Care Database
(Ghent University)
This referential database contains plant transcription sites and plant promotors.
Plant DNA C-Values Database
(Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)
The DNA amount in the unreplicated haploid or gametic nucleus of an organism is referred to as its C-value, irrespective of the ploidy level of the taxon. The Plant DNA C-values Database currently contains data for 3864 different Embryophyte plant species.
Plant DNA Cis Elements (PLACE)
(National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Japan)
PLACE is a database of motifs found in plant cis-acting regulatory DNA elements, all from previously published reports. It covers vascular plants only.
Plant Systems Biology
(Flanders Interuniversity Institute and Ghent University)
This site contains research, genomics, databases and bioinformatics.
Rice Research
This site features a database for rice genome sequence research.
TreeBase
(University at Buffalo)
TreeBASE stores phylogenetic trees and the data matrices used to generate them from published research papers. TreeBase is a relational database of phylogenetic information hosted by the University at Buffalo.

Research:

Electronic Plant Gene Register
(University of Nebraska, Lincoln)
This site contains published articles describing the isolation and DNA sequence determination of plant genes.
Institute for Plant Biotechnology for Developing Countries
(Ghent University)
Find out about genetic plant research being conducted in developing countries on this website.
Plant Genetics and Breeding
(Agricultural Research Service)
A list of links to interperative summaries of research reports. Each report includes contact information.
Plant Genome Research
(University of Minnesota)
This website features research titled "A Radiation Hybrid System for the Genetic and Physical Mapping of the Corn Genome". Click the "Plants" link for photographic examples of maize x oat breeding.
Plant Molecular Biology Center
(Northern Illinois University)
Promotes, coordinates, and facilitates research activities in plant molecular and cellular biology. Includes information on the Core DNA sequencing facility.

General Reference:

Genetics Glossary
(University of Edinburgh)
An extensive list of terms used in genetics is found on this site.
Talking Glossary
(National Human Genome Research Center)
The Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms was created to help people without scientific backgrounds understand the terms and concepts used in genetic research.
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Cytology

What is Plant Cytology?
Plant Cytology is the study of plant cell structure, function, and life history.

Basic Information:

Botany Slides
(Northwestern College)
This website contains slides showing plant cell structures from a variety of sources including angiosperms, fungi, roots, leaves and more.

Advanced Information:

Cells and Tissues or What is Seen Through a Microscope?
(Botany Online)
Textbook explanations of the structure of plant cells, tissues, and meristems.
Cytology, Mitosis, Meiosis
(Botany Online)
Textbook explanations of cytology, including literature references for further research.
Virtual Cell
(University of Illinois)
A single plant cell that can be viewed in multiple ways is featured on this site.

Research:

Cytology of Two Fertile Triple Roses
A paper discussing cytology issues involved with triple roses, by Dr H. D. Wulff, Saarbrucken, Germany.
Institute of Cytology and Genetics
(Russian Academy of Sciences)
Research projects in cytology described from the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Syberia.

General Reference:

Cytology and Meristems Vocabulary
(Connecticut State University)
Terms used in cytology and meristems are found on this website.

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Anatomy

What is Plant Anatomy?
Plant Anatomy is the study of the internal structure of a plant, such as cell and tissue arrangements.

Basic Information:

Moss Anatomy

Anatomy of the Moss Stem
(University of Winnipeg)
A depiction of moss anatomy is found here.
Discovering the Mosses
(Leatherwood Trail)
The anatomy of a typical moss plant is found on this site.

Algae Anatomy

Algae Anatomy
(PocketScope.com)
Microscopic photos of green algae, accompanied by explanations of their anatomy.
Anatomy of Some Lichens
(University of Hamburg)
Cross-section photos of lichens.

Fern Anatomy

Fern Anatomy
(University of Winnipeg)
Click through the slides to learn about the anatomy of ferns.
Ferns
(University of Winnipeg)
A brief description of the anatomy of ferns is found on this site.

Tree Anatomy

Anatomy of a Tree Ring
(NOVA OnLine)
A brief explanation of tree ring anatomy can be found on this site.
Tree Anatomy
(NC State University)
An excellent explantation of tree anatomy has been compiled on this site.

General Plant Anatomy

Plant Anatomy
(Washington State University, Vancouver)
This site contains photographs labeled with anatomical terms.
Plant Anatomy Archive
(Nebraska Wesleyan University)
Images of plant structure.
Plant Anatomy and Glossary
(Texas A&M University)
Vegetative and Reproductive characteristics of flowering plants are detailed on this site. Also included are diagrams of leaf arrangements, shapes, types, and margins in addition to information on stems and roots.
Plant Tissues: Levels of Organization
(Eastern Connecticut State University)
A brief, introductory outline to the level of organization in plant tissues.
Botany: Plant Parts and Functions
The parts of a plant can be divided into two groups, sexual reproductive parts and vegetative parts. This website explains the basics.

Advanced Information:

Angiosperm Anatomy
Several links to the study of basic plant anatomy are listed here. The site also includes microscopic images of an onion root, and a link to "How a Corn Plant Develops".
Plant Anatomy
(University of Texas)
This web site has been developed as supplemental material for people studying plant anatomy. Its objective is to provide light micrographs of the types of cells and tissues that students typically examine in a plant anatomy course.
Plant Anatomy
This website uses pictures to explain complex concepts in plant anatomy. Topics include "Shoot Apex and Leaves", "Vascular and Ground Tissues", and "Primary Stems and Variations in Light Harvesting Structures".
Plant Anatomy Image Lists
(University of Rhode Island)
This website features image slides organized by topic such as plant cells, meristems, dermal tissue systems, vascular tissues, stems, leaves, and roots.
Plant Tissue Types
Anatomical terms and diagrams related to dermal tissue, ground tissue, and vascular tissue.
Plants and Their Structure
This chapter from the Online Biology Book discusses plant organization, cells and tissues with colorful diagrams. Useful links for further study are also included.

Databases:

Plant Micromorphology Bibliographic Database
(Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew)
A database of references relevant to the anatomy and pollen/spore morphology of flowering plants, gymnosperms and ferns is found on this site.

General Reference:

Plant Anatomy Glossary
A glossary of terms related to plant anatomy.
Plant Anatomy Glossary
(University of Rhode Island)
A glossary of plant anatomy terms grouped by anatomical structure.

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Morphology


What is Morphology?
Morphology is the study of the external structure of plant forms, for example, the placement of leaves along a stem, in addition to the development, life histories, and evolutionary relationships of both non-vascular and vascular plant groups. Morphology differs from plant anatomy, which is the study of the internal structure of a plant, such as cell and tissue arrangement within a leaf.

Basic Information:

Plant Morphology
(University of Wisconsin, Madison)
Basic information concerning plant morphology is found on this site.
Plant Morphology
(American Museum of Natural History)
Drawings and explanations of terms used in Morphology are found here.
Corn Leaf Staging: Plant Morphology Details
(Perdue University)
Images on this site illustrate some of the plant morphology details useful understanding how to identify leaf stages in corn.
Plant Morphology: The Plant Structure
(University of South Dakota)
A basic outline of the principles studied in morphology. Also referenced is a section on plant nutrition.
Plant Structure and Growth
(National University of Ireland, Galway)
An introduction to plant morphology, outlining the differences between monocots and dicots.
Plant Structure: Leaves, Stems, and Roots
(Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)
An excellent fact sheet highlighting the main concepts in morphology.

Advanced Information:

Plant Growth Regulation by Photoselective Greenhouse Covers
(Clemson University)
The information on this site uses technical language to describe the relationship between light and plant morphology.
The Plant and How It Grows
(International Rice Research Institute)
The morphology and growth of a rice plant is discussed in detail on this informative website.
Plantae: Plant Morphology
(University of California Museum of Paleontology)
The basics in plant morphology are explained in this website.
Research:
Plant Morphology
(The Natural History Museum, London)
Research is presented on the subject of plant morphology, specifically maize, plantain and banana, and cassava. Opportunities to explore many more links to botanical subjects are available.
General Reference:
Glossary for Plant Morphology
(California State Polytechnic University)
This website offers a glossary of plant morphology terms, with links to audio pronunciations.
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Physiology


What is Plant Physiology?
Plant Physiology is the study of the functions and life processes of plants such as photosynthesis and mineral nutrition.

Basic Information:

Physiology: Plant Growth and Development
(University of Arizona)
A reference source for basic plant physiology.
Photosynthesis
(Alien Explorers)
This educational page is part of an ecology resource designed for middle and high school students.
Plants in Motion
(Indiana University)
This site contains a series of well-executed, time-lapse, QuickTime movies of plant growth and development.
What is Photosynthesis?
(Arizona State University)
This site links to dozens of online articles, from basic explanations to scientific investigations of photosynthesis.  It also includes a section entitled "I Didn't Know That!" which outlines 'amazing facts' about the phenomenon.

Advanced Information:

Nitrogen Fixation
(Reed College)
Nitrogen fixation is the process by which atmospheric nitrogen gas is converted into ammonia. The ammonia is subsequently available for many important biological molecules such as amino acids, proteins, vitamins, and nucleic acids. This website is intended as a forum to present informative images that are not otherwise easily available.
Photosynthesis
(California State Polytechnic University)
This page is part of a larger on-line instructional biology series that provides background information on photosynthesis, as well as photographs, diagrams, and simulations. 
Photosynthesis Center
(Arizona State University)
The Photosynthesis Center at Arizona State University is a multidisciplinary group doing research in several areas of photosynthesis. This site provides helpful links to many other related sites.
Phototropism
(Biology Online)
This site explains phototropism, a growth movement induced by light stimulus.
The Seed Biology Place
(Albert-Ludwigs-Universität)
Website of Gerhard Leubner on seed biology: seed germination, dormancy, afterripening, ß-1,3-glucanase during endosperm rupture and coat-enhanced dormancy of tobacco.

Resources with Extensive Links:

Biology Website References, Plant Physiology
A large number of links related to the study of plant physiology have been compiled on this helpful website.
Photosynthesis Sites
(Rutgers University)
Compiled list of web resources for plant physiology.
Photosynthesis and the Web: 2002
(Arizona State University)
This site presents an enourmous number of resources about photosynthesis on the web.
Plant Biology Index
(PlantBiology.com)
This comprehensive and well-designed site contains a plethora of information about the biology of plants. Use this site to enter plant physiological terms such as "photosynthesis" to learn more about a topic.
Plant Biology Related Links
(Institute of Plant Physiology)
Web links to journals, databases, universities, discussion groups, and more, all related to plant physiology.
Plant Physiology Sites
(Austrailian National University)
This site contains a list of links to plant physiology websites.

Research:

Crop Physiology Laboratory
(Utah State University)
The CPL is primarily funded by NASA and most research is dedicated towards optimizing the growth of several plant species, including wheat, soybean, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, and carrots for use in bio-regenerative life support systems. The lab is also involved in several non-NASA related research projects, including phytoremediation and phytotoxicity experiments.
Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology
(Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
This site details the research of this university, in addition to providing numerous informative links to such sites as Tree Breeding Tools and Forest Genetic Field Trials.
PlantStress
Dedicated to plant environmental stress in agriculture and biology. The site contains news, announcements, events, original articles, a reference database, files and presentations, biotech issues, more than 400 linked web resources and a bulletin board.
Plant Physiology
(University of Basil)
This website contains the research of groups working on: ethylene, ectomycorrhiza, fructans, elicitor perception, and other areas.
Weed Physiology
(Montana State University)
The Weed Physiology lab studies applied agricultural problems using the tools of molecular biology and genetics. They seek to understand the physiological strategies used by plants that are highly successful as weeds in agricultural settings.

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Plant Pathology

What is Plant Pathology?

Plant Pathology is the study of diseases in plants.

Basic Information:

Plant Disease Information Notes
(North Carolina State University)
This site addresses general principles of plant pathology, in addition to information about diseases targeting specific plant types.
Plant Pathology
(University of Georgia)
This website consists of a plant, fungal and nematode library in which useful information is indexed under various categories. Each library also contains a "How-to Methods" page, in which instructions are given on various topics, and a "Chemical Names" list that describes both common uses and brand names for chemicals.
Plant Health Instructor
(APSnet Education Center)
This site is divided into nine main parts: (1) K-12 Plant Path-Ways to Science, (2) Introductory Plant Pathology, (3) Advanced Plant Pathology, (4) Online Courses, (5) Short Courses, (6) Instructor Communication and Scholarship, (7) University Plant Pathology Home Pages, (8) Certification Program, and (9) The Plant Health Instructor. Specific information is available for students or instructors. Each part provides highly useful, well-organized, and interesting information.

Advanced Information:

Pest Management and Identification
(University of California)
The UC Pest Management Guidelines supplies the University of California's official guidelines for pest monitoring techniques, pesticides, and nonpesticide alternatives for managing insect, mite, nematode, weed, and disease pests in agricultural crops, floriculture and ornamental nurseries, commercial turf, and in homes and landscapes.
Plant Disease Facts
(University of California)
This is a listing of fact sheets available on common diseases of plants frequently grown in greenhouses, interiorscapes, and in outdoor landscapes and nurseries in the northeastern U.S.

Databases:

World Directory of Plant Pathologists
(International Society for Plant Pathology)
This resource contains a searchable database of plant pathologists around the world.

Resources with Extensive Links:

Agropedia: Plant Pathology Links
(University of Kentucky)
Many interesting links to plant pathology topics are found in this resource list.
The Plant Pathology Internet Guidebook
(University of Bonn, Germany)
A subject oriented internet resource guide for plant pathology, applied entomology, and all related fields. On these pages you will find plant pathology related internet sites and more useful resources.

General Reference:

On-Line Glossary of Technical Terms in Plant Pathology
(Cornell University)
Definitions of terms, accompanied by references for the definitions are found on this site. Terms also include pronunciation keys available from clicking a speaker icon.
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Forage Crop Diseases
(National Grassland Research Institute (NGRI))
In each section of this site there is a list of plants and corresponding diseases. For each disease, the causal organism, description, and photos of symptoms are available.

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Ecology

What is Ecology?
Ecology is the study of the interrelationships of plants, animals, and their environment.

Basic Information:

eNature
(eNature.com)
Habitat guidelines including grasslands, forests, wetlands, and artic environments are found in this informative site.

Advanced Information:

Atlas of Relations Between Climatic Parameters and Distributions of Important Trees and Shrubs in North America
(US Geological Survey)
This atlas explores the continental-scale relations between the geographic ranges of woody plant species and climate in North America.
BioMaps: Biodiversity Mapping for Protection and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
(eNature.com)
This site contains information about spatial patterns of vascular plant diversity at a continental to global scale, in addition to providing other useful biodiversity analysis.
Canada's Ecological and Monitoring Assessment Network
(Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network)
This site examines the nature of ecological change in response to stresses such as climate change, identifies and defines new issues, and contributes to the design of scientifically defensible pollution control and management programmes and the evaluation of their effectiveness.
Centres of Plant Diversity: The Americas
(Smithsonian Institution)
This website is part of a three-volume work that contains accounts of nearly 250 major sites for conservation of plant diversity worldwide. Volume 1 covers Europe, the Atlantic Islands, Africa and the islands of the Western Indian Ocean, South West Asia and the Middle East. Volume 2 is concerned with the rest of Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Volume 3, whose web version is presented here, deals with the Americas, and contains six sites in North America, 20 in Middle America, 46 in South America, and three in the Caribbean. This web version of the printed volume contains all the same material, with an easy-to-use search engine and additional pictures.
Checklist of OnLine Vegetation and Plant Distribution Maps
(University of California, Berkeley)
Hundreds of vegetation and plant distribution maps are available on this comprehensive site.
A Climate Change Atlas for 80 Forest Tree Species of the Eastern United States
(USDA Forest Service)
Contained in this site are maps and tables for different climate change scenarios, life-history and disturbance attributes, ecological attributes, forest type maps and sorted lists of species importance values by state/county for different climate change scenarios.
Cloud Forests
(Strybing Arboretum Society)
Through this website you will learn about biodiversity conservation, tropical cloud forests, and expeditions to South East Asia.
Descriptions of the Ecoregions the United States
(US Forest Service)
Domains, divisions, and provinces of ecological diversity throughout the United States.
Earthtrends: The Environmental Information Portal
(World Resources Institute)
This site contains a plethora of information on biodiversity topics related to botany, among others.
Ecological Subregions of the United States
(US Forest Service)
This document presents information on a wide range of environmental, biological, and cultural characteristics of ecosystems at the subregion scale.
Endangered Ecosystems of the United States
(US Geological Survey)
This report estimates of declines of natural ecosystems in the United States, provides a rationale for ecosystem-level conservation, discusses declines and threats as criteria for conservation, and relates ecosystem losses to endangerment at species and population levels.
Centres of Plant Diversity: The Americas
(Smithsonian Institute)
This website is part of a three-volume work that contains accounts of nearly 250 major sites for conservation of plant diversity worldwide. Volume 1 covers Europe, the Atlantic Islands, Africa and the islands of the Western Indian Ocean, South West Asia and the Middle East. Volume 2 is concerned with the rest of Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Volume 3, whose web version is presented here, deals with the Americas, and contains six sites in North America, 20 in Middle America, 46 in South America, and three in the Caribbean. This web version of the printed volume contains all the same material, with an easy-to-use search engine and additional pictures.
A High Resolution National Map of Vegetation Ecoregions
(University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
A parallel supercomputer was used to divide the conterminous 48 states of the United States into 1000, 2000, 3000, 5000, and 7000 ecoregions with relatively homogeneous values of elevation, edaphic, and climatic variables using an iterative multivariate clustering technique. The resultant national maps objectively capture the ecological patterns of spatial variance in physical, edaphic, and climatic factors relevant for the distribution and growth of plants and animals.
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
The NCEAS EcoEssay is a forum for new ecological ideas.
Nature Plants, World Plants
(BBC Nature)
This website illustrates the diversity of vegetation throughout the world.
Ordination Methods for Ecologists
(Oklahoma State University)
This website addresses the issue of ordination as it pertains to ecological topics.
Status and Trends of the Nation's Biological Resources
(US Geological Survey)
This report synthesizes information about the status and trends of America's natural resources, and it represents the combined knowledge of hundreds of experts who served as authors or reviewers.
USGS-NPS: Vegetation Mapping Program
(U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service)
The USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program is a cooperative effort by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service (NPS) to classify, describe, and map vegetation communities in more than 250 national park units across the United States.

Databases:

Aquatic, Wetland, and Invasive Plant Database
(University of Florida)
This resource includes bibliographic citations for more than 47,000 research articles, books, and reports related to aquatic ecology, physiology, utilization, and control.

Sites with Extensive Links:

The Ecology WWW Page
(Missouri Botanical Garden, Harvard University Herbaria)
This site lists hundreds of links to ecological resources on the web.
Science of Dendrochronology Web Pages
(University of Tennessee)
This website is a well-designed source, rich with information and links about tree-ring research. Topics are organized into categories such as reference, databases, research, principles of dendrochronolgy, and more.

Research:

Ecology and Evolution Research Group
(The Open University, United Kingdom)
Ongoing research projects listed under "plants".
Established FERNS Sites Across Canada
(Canadian Forest Service)
The Canadian Forest Service (CFS) has organized a national network of research sites, named the Forest Ecosystem Research Network of Sites (FERNS). These sites are focused on the study of sustainable forest management practices and ecosystem processes at the stand level.

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Courtesy of the US Geographic Survey (USGS)
at www.usgs.gov

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Last modified: 08/22/03