Plant Ecology and Taxnomy

Plant ecology is the study of the interactions between plants and their physical and biotic environments. Plants are photosynthetic and generally sessile organisms that rely on their local surroundings for light, water, and nutrition resources. The primary goal of plant ecology is to provide sustenance for nearly all humans and all terrestrial species.

Plant size and position in the community have an impact on resource uptake and utilisation, thus plants have evolved specialised adaptations to improve these capabilities. Plants in the understory have evolved strategies to cope with low light conditions, whilst plants in the open have evolved mechanisms to cope with excessive light.

Taxonomy is the branch of biology that studies, describes, names, and categorises all living organisms. Plant taxonomy is one of the oldest scientific fields, with roots dating back thousands of years.