Why Study Tropical Plant Science?

Why study plants?

The importance of plants and their study is extremely under-rated by many people. We are dependent on plants in many ways. They supply all the food we eat, either directly or indirectly, the air we breathe, many of the fibres used in clothing etc.. Plants are our main source of energy as coal, petroleum products or wood, and they supply building materials, medicines and other chemicals. Plants moderate our climate by increasing rainfall, buffering wind; they help control soil salinity and erosion, as well as having an important aesthetic value. These roles reflect the diversity of plants - they are the only significant source of oxygen, energy and many nutrients (especially nitrogen) for all animals including Homo sapiens.



So it is not surprising that there are also a wide number of roles for plant scientists - as plant breeders, geneticists, taxonomists and systematists, plant anatomists and histologists, plant physiologists and biochemists, microbiologists, mycologists, phycologists, bryologists, forensic scientists, ecologists, marine biologists, limnologists, and land managers. Plant scientists have major roles in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, and environmental management - such as in national park management, bushfire management, and minesite rehabilitation. There is arguably much more scope in employment for plant scientists than for any other field of biology, simply because of the diversity of plants and the roles they play in our lives. Scan the employment pages of a week's worth of newspapers - what proportion of jobs for biologists involve the study of plants?

Why is plant science in the tropics important?

The tropics are also the region of highest biodiversity - the world's richest gene pool. Tropical rainforests contain some 3 million species of organisms - 50 to 75% of the world's total! It is thought that only 16% of these have been described and named. This represents a rich source of potential foods and medicines. It also makes the tropics one of the most fascinating regions for study by biologists, with many untapped areas for new and rewarding research.

Due to population pressures and unsustainable land management practices, the tropics are also subject to massive land degradation problems. Wet tropical forests cover some 1 to 2 billion ha, but some 22 million ha are being cleared each year! Large areas of the tropical savannas are subject to overgrazing, resulting in erosion of the productive topsoil, soil structural decline, invasion by woody weeds, increased soil salinity, deterioration of water resources, and ultimately desertification. Plant scientists have an important role to play in developing techniques for more sustainable land management practices in the tropics.

There is enormous scope for study and research in the plant sciences in the tropics!

Where are Plant Scientists employed?

GOVERNMENT INSTRUMENTALITIES

• CSIRO
• National Parks and Wildlife Services
• Forestry and Marine Parks
• Department of Environment
• Australian Institute of Marine Science
• Departments of Primary Industry, Natural Resources or Agriculture
• Hospitals
• Scientific Libraries
• Customs, Police Force, Army, Diplomatic Corps
• Parks and Gardens Departments

PRIVATE ENTERPRISE

• Aquaculture
• Biotechnology
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• Fisheries Management
• Hospitals and Pathology Laboratories
• Personnel Management
• Plant Breeding
• Pest and Disease Control
• Land Rehabilitation and Revegetation
• Horticulture and Plant Propagation
• Publishing
• Tourism

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

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