Plant Science: An Introduction to Botany

Course Overview

Learn to see and appreciate the amazing plants all around you, guided by a renowned Professor of Biology.

Course No. 9010

Dr. Catherine Kleier introduces you to the phenomenal world of plant life through her concept of “Natura Revelata” – the joy of discovering nature’s secrets. This course focuses on:

• Basic plant biology and function
• Amazing plant adaptations
• Practical plant identification
• Latest discoveries in plant communication

With nearly 400,000 known species, you’ll explore how plants thrive everywhere from deserts to rainforests, and examine ongoing debates about plant classification and evolution.

Key Topics Covered:

• Plant anatomy and physiology
• Photosynthesis and reproduction
• Coevolution with pollinators
• Unique ecosystem adaptations
• Human uses of plants
• Genetic modification

Video Lectures

01: The Joy of Botany (30 min)

Overcome “plant blindness” by learning to appreciate the essential lifeforms that provide oxygen, food, and medicine.

02: Plants Are like People (31 min)

Discover surprising similarities between plants and humans, from DNA to circadian rhythms and environmental sensing.

03: Moss Sex and Peat’s Engineered Habitat (35 min)

Explore how ancient bryophytes developed land adaptations and create their own specialized ecosystems.

04: Fern Spores and the Vascular Conquest of Land (30 min)

Learn how ferns’ reproductive power and vascular systems enabled their global colonization.

05: Roots and Symbiosis with Non-Plants (32 min)

Understand roots’ critical functions and their symbiotic relationships with bacteria and fungi.

06: Stems Are More Than Just the In-Between (30 min)

amine how stems support growth through pressure flow in phloem and xylem systems.

07: The Leaf as a Biochemical Factory (32 min)

Discover how plant hormones regulate leaf growth and seasonal changes.

08: Photosynthesis Everyone Should Understand (31 min)

Learn the fascinating process that separates plants from animals – food production from sunlight.

09: Days and Years in the Lives of Plants (32 min)

Explore how plants “decide” when to flower through light-sensing pigments and temperature cues.

10: Advent of Seeds: Cycads and Ginkgoes (29 min)

Understand seeds’ evolutionary advantage through ancient species like cycads and ginkgos.

11: Why Conifers Are Holiday Plants (30 min)

Discover conifers’ adaptations for harsh environments and their medicinal uses.

12: Secrets of Flower Power (33 min)

Learn how flowering plants became Earth’s dominant vegetation through specialized reproduction.

13: The Coevolution of Who Pollinates Whom (31 min)

Examine the intricate relationships between specific flowers and their animal pollinators.

14: The Many Forms of Fruit: Tomatoes to Peanuts (30 min)

Clarify botanical classifications of fruits, nuts and seeds (and how fungi differ).

15: Plant Seeds Get Around (30 min)

Discover plants’ ingenious seed dispersal methods from explosions to animal transport.

16: Water Plants Came from Land (30 min)

Learn how aquatic plants readapted to water with specialized structures and processes.

17: Why the Tropics Have So Many Plant Species (30 min)

Explore rainforest biodiversity from canopy epiphytes to shade-adapted floor plants.

18: The Complexity of Grasses and Grasslands (29 min)

Understand grasses’ unique adaptations that allow them to cover one-third of Earth’s land.

19: Shrublands of Roses and Wine (28 min)

Examine shrubs’ ecological advantages and communication methods through VOCs.

20: The Desert Bonanza of Plant Shapes (32 min)

Discover desert plants’ remarkable water-saving forms and alternative photosynthesis.

21: How Temperate Trees Change Color and Grow (31 min)

Learn why deciduous trees drop leaves and how this demonstrates convergent evolution.

22: Alpine Cold Makes Plants Do Funny Things (29 min)

Explore alpine plants’ rosette forms and heliotropism for surviving extreme conditions.

23: Bad Plants Aren’t So Bad (30 min)

Examine carnivorous plants, poisonous species, and real threats from invasives.

24: Modifying the Genes of Plants (40 min)

Evaluate the realities and dilemmas of GMOs in modern agriculture and science.