Botany

Dr/ Sami Hamouda

Week 1
Lecture 1
The living organisms
The living organisms are divided into 5 kingdoms:
1-Kingdom Monera (prokaryotes)
2-kingdom Protista (Eukaryotes)
3-kingdom Fungi (fungus , Eukaryotes)
4-kingdom Plantae (plants , Eukaryotes)
5-kingdom Animalia (animals , Eukaryotes)

Classifying larger organisms into kingdoms is usually easy, but in a

microenvironment it can be tricky. If you have had a little biology, a good exercise is
to describe individual living things, and to try to classify them as to kingdom.
I. Prokaryotic Cells Without Nuclei And Membrane-Bounded Organelles
Kingdom: Monera (or Prokaryota)
• Individuals are single-celled, may or may not move, have a cell wall, have no
chloroplasts or other organelles, and have no nucleus.
• Monera are usually very tiny.
• Smaller circular molecules of DNA called plasmids.
• No visible feeding mechanism, they absorb nutrients through the cell wall or
produce their own by photosynthesis.
• 10,000 species include true bacteria (eubacteria); Archeobacteria and
cyanobacteria (Blue-green algae).
• Reproduction by binary fission.
II. Eukaryotic Cells with Nuclei and Membrane-Bounded Organelles:
Kingdom Protista
 Protists are single-celled and usually move by cilia, flagella, or by amoeboid
mechanisms.
 There is usually no cell wall, although some forms may have a cell wall.
 They have organelles including a nucleus and may have chloroplasts, so some
will be green and others have animal-like cells (sometimes known as
protozoa).
 Mostly single-celled, or exist as groups of similar cells (colony). They are
small, although many are big enough to be recognized in a dissecting
microscope or even with a magnifying glass.
 Reproduction asexually through binary fission, sexual reproduction rarely
observed.
 Nutrients are acquired by photosynthesis (plant-like protists), ingestion of
other organism (animal-like protists), or both.
 250,000 species (e.g. Chlamydomonas, Diatoms, Euglena).

 
chlamydomons Protozoa (Euglena)
Diatoms
 Kingdom Fungi

 Fungi are multicellular, rarely unicellular (e.g. yeast) with a cell wall, organelles including
a nucleus, but no chloroplasts.
 They have no mechanisms for locomotion (never have cilia or flagella).

 They are unicellular or made up of long threads called hyphae; they range in size from
microscopic to very large ( such as mushrooms).
 Reproduce by means of spores or binary fission (asexual reproduction), also sexual
reproduction occur.
 Nutrients are acquired by absorption. For the most part, fungi acquire nutrients from
decaying material.
 100,000 species; e.g. Rhizopus (bread moulds), Saccharomyces (yeast), mushroom …etc.
Rhizopus Penicillium Mushroom
Kingdom Plantae:
 Plants are multicellular and most don't move, although gametes of some plants
move using cilia or flagella.
 Organelles including nucleus, chloroplasts are present, and cell walls are
present.
 Nutrients are acquired by photosynthesis (they all require sunlight).
 Reproduce sexually by the fusion of gametes, rarely reproduce vegetatively.
 About 250,000 species, including flowering plants, ferns, algae, mosses…..etc.
Flowering plants Ferns
Kingdom: Animalia
• Animals are multicellular, move with the aid of cilia, flagella, or muscular
organs.
• They have organelles including a nucleus, but no chloroplasts or cell walls.
• Animals acquire nutrients by ingestion.
• About 1000,000 species.
we will study 2 branches of botany
Plant Morphology and Plant Anatomy
Plant Morphology : the branch of botany that deals with the external features
and structure of different organs of the plants.
Plant Anatomy : the branch of botany that deals with
the structure of the plant bodies

Different Plants can live in different habitats:

Mesophyll: plants that live in moderate temperature
Xerophytes: plants that live in scarce water supply and
dry conditions as desert plants
Hydrophytes: aquatic or water plants that live in
extreme water conditions
Halophytes: plants that grow in salt or saline soils
Mangroves: plants that are found in muddy swamps in rivers or seas

Epiphytes: plants that cling to another objects for support and they are NOT
parasites. They have clinging roots and absorbing roots
Parasites: plants that take nourishments from other living organisms by special
structure called haustoria
Saprophytes: plants that take their food from dead organic matter
Carnivorous or Insectivorous plants: plants that live at
the expense of flesh of animals or insects
Differences between Eukaryotes and
prokaryotes
Character Prokaryotic Eukaryotic

Size of the cell Typically 0.2-2 μm in Typically 10-100 μm in

diameter diameter

Nucleus No nuclear membrane and Nuclear membrane and

no nucleolus Nucleolus is present

Membrane enclosed
organelles:
1- Golgi Absent Present
2- Endoplasmic Reticulum Absent Present
3- Chloroplast Absent Present in plants
4- Mitocondria Absent Present
5- Lysosomes Absent Present
6- True Vacuoles Absent present

17
Differences between Eukaryotes and
prokaryotes
Character Prokaryotic
Chromosomal DNA Single circular; lacks
arrangement histones
Ribosomes Small size (70S)
Cell wall Typical bacterial cell wall
included murein
(peptidoglycans)
Cytoplamic membrane Lack sterol and has
respiratory function
Eukaryotic
Multiple linear with
histones
Larger size (80s)
Smaller size (70s) in
organelles
When present as in plants,
algae and fungi composed
of polysaccharides e.g
cellulose
Sterols present and no
respiratory function.
18
Differences between Eukaryotes and
prokaryotes
Character Prokaryotic Eukaryotic

Cell division Binary Fission Mitosis

Flagella Simple Flagella Complicated (2+9)

Endospores Present in some Absent

Gas Vacuoles Present in some Absent

19