Job Descriptions - Definitions - Career Fields: Botanist

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Botanist

A genuine interest in biological science, a love of nature, an insight into the world of plants plus a desire to perform highly specialised research work are needed in this profession. The most urgent need in the world today is more food for the growing population and it would be part of your job to discover new ways to store and grow this food. Botanist study the origin, development, structure, physiology, distribution, environment, interrelationship, classification and every other aspect of plant life and relate their findings of possible solutions to agricultural, horticultural and forestry problems. This means that there is an enormous amount of studying involved before you could make a difference in the world.
It is definitely not a boring career as many aspects of it deal with interesting things like artificial environments, space travel agriculture, hydrophonics and many other fascinating areas of research. Botanist have aided farmers to increase their yields by discovering that some insects prefer flowers of a particular colour. Butterflies are attracted by red and white flowers while moths prefer white and yellow ones that have a strong scent. Bees visit all flowers but never two different species on one trip. By planting the correct type of flowers, pollination can be assured. A simple solution to a large problem which would not have been found if there had been no botanists to discover this interesting piece of information. If it were not for people like these, we would still have wild roses and not the sophisticated range of magnificent blooms which we now take for granted. There are different careers in botany and each one concentrates on a specific sub-discipline.

* Plant Taxonomist:
In this profession, you would probably be working in a herbaria where collected plants are kept for classification and identification. You would also collect plants in the field and work in laboratories or greenhouses where the chemistry, structure, population genetics and the reproductive behaviour of plants is studied.

* Ethnobotanist
In this profession, you would do research work on all medicine and food related plants.

* Palaeobotanist
In this profession, you would study plant fossils and you would have to have a deep interest in rocks and geology for this profession.


* Palynologist In this profession, you would study fossil and living pollen in order to shed light on the historical background of a certain region and their findings are valuable to Archaeology, Ecology and Systematics. This is a highly specialised branch of Systematics and involves the use of light-and-electronmicroscopes. They are also involved with forensic medicine and criminology because of their ability to identify pollen on clothes, shoes and the body.

* Plant Physiologist
In this profession, you would study the functioning of plants; growth, development, nutritional uptake and biochemical processes. These are the people who play an important role when it comes to drought-resistance, crop production, nutritional value, quality of food crops, the germination as well as the storage of seeds and the production of fruit. They mainly work in laboratories but often conduct growth studies on farmlands, in growth chambers and greenhouses.

* Mycologist
In this profession, you would study fungi in all forms. Certain fungi cause decay in food and other natural products and are also important in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

* Plant Pathologist
In this profession, you would study diseases in plants by means of microscopy. * Plant Geneticist
In this profession, you would have two main concerns. The first is the improvement of trees for cultivation and the second is population and evolution genetics. Research is done on plant systematics and conservation biology where the relations between different populations or species must be determined genetically.

* Weed Scientist

In this profession you would study the different weeds as well as the mechanical, chemical and biological methods of control. You would need a definite interest in insects which are often used to control weeds. Knowledge of ecology is also important. After the destruction of weeds, the area must be managed ecologically in order to prevent soil erosion and prevent one species of weed from being followed by another.

Botanists work both in laboratories and out in the open and their working conditions depend on where they are employed and in what field. The seven main fields of botany are as follows.

* Economic Botanists deal mostly with the use and economic importance of all kinds of plants which include those which are poisonous, edible, medicinal or decorative. The famous film about a doctor in the Amazon who was looking for a cure for dreaded diseases was a good depiction of the work done by an economic botanist. However, very few professionals in this science specialise in only one area and are experts in many fields as well as the one in which they choose to spend most of their time.

* Plant Pathology is concerned with combating plant diseases.

* Plant Morphology is the study of plant structures and organs.

* Plant Taxonomy is the classification of plants.

* Plant Physiology, the life processes and activities of plants.

* Plant Genetics is about heredity in plants.

* Plant Ecology, the relationship between plants and their environment.

A successful botanist needs to know everything about plants if he hopes to discover magical properties or medicine. The Fountain of Youth might very well be found in the plant world one day!


Career Fields


Botanical, Plant and Landscape     
 
 



 
 

Courtesy: CareerExpo

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