Bite Sized Botany: Photosynthesis

It's officially summer. The sun is out and shining bright. Some of us are cursing it and hiding in what little shade we can find. Others are out soaking it up. But no one enjoys the extra sunshine like the plants do. So just what do the plants do with all that sun? The answer, as most of us know, is photosynthesis. But what does that mean?

Photosynthesis is when plants draw in the light energy from the sun and convert it to chemical energy. The chemical energy is then stored in carbohydrate molecules (namely sugars), which the plant makes from carbon dioxide (that stuff we breathe out as a byproduct of cell respiration - but that's another story) and water. Later, the plants release the energy as fuel. Kind of like when we burn off the energy from the food we eat in order to run, swim, climb - or whatever it is we like to do. Food is our fuel, and the sun is fuel for plants and their many plant-y activities. Like being leafy and whispering taunts at humans when they're not looking.*

In most cases, oxygen gets released as a byproduct of photosynthesis. (We've all heard about how plants create the oxygen we need to breathe; this is how.) This process of photosynthesis is very important - not just for the plant's own survival, but for ours as well. Plants are responsible for most of the oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere.

So the next time you hiss at the sun and wrap yourself in a cloak of darkness, or retreat indoors to your internet, remember just how vital the sun is to plants and how vital the plants are to us. Without plant life, and without the process of photosynthesis, we would cease to exist.

Happy photosynthesizing!
- Your Friendly Neighborhood Plant Scientist

*Really hoping I don't need to say this, but plants do not taunt humans... as far as we know.

Plant of the Day: Bergamot Orange

Bergamot orange is a fruit used mainly for its scent rather than it's flavor. Warning : Excessive use can be toxic and contact with the skin can increase photosensitivity. What is photosensitivity? A high sensitivity to sunlight beyond what is accepted as the norm. Personally, I suffer from this thanks to my use of Koji acid soap and my genetics. That's why I always look like a vampire victim - another poor creature that suffers from photosensitivity.

Why should we save the endangered bergamot orange? Because, it's a main component in Earl Grey tea, fool! I love Earl Grey tea. It's the best tea on the whole damn planet. It's also used in Turkish delight (so amazingly delicious). The saying is that only villainous characters like it, and in literature this is most often true. But come on. It's gelatinous cubes of fruit, nuts, dates, and covered in powdered sugar. It's squishy and sweet and it has bergamot. Oh, look at that. We've come full circle.

What else is it used in? Other food and drinks, delicious bergamot marmalade, cosmetics, and even perfumes and colognes. Also, its juice has been used in Calabrian indigenous medicine to treat malaria. But caution should be exercised. Excessive consumption of bergamot oil is dangerous for pregnant women and often fatal for children. So don't go chugging it thinking you'll be immune to malaria whilst simultaneously becoming the equivalent of a vampire - without the awkwardness of feasting on the necks of strangers.

What it looks like:

All hail the mighty bergamot, provider of life-giving Earl Grey!

So sit back, relax, and drink another cup of Earl Grey. You never know when it will be your last.

- Your Friendly Neighborhood Plant Scientist

Useful Terms: 1

From time to time, I will post up a list of useful terms. These aren't really necessary to know, but it always pays to expand your knowledge. Consider these term posts to be something extra on the side to help you become more familiar with the plant world. Kind of like dessert, but with less calories and more words. You'll no longer have to scratch your head and refer to "that one plant" as "that one plant."

1. Tracheid: a type of water-conducting cell in the xylem which lacks perforations in the cell wall.
2. Abscission: the normal separation of flowers, fruit, and leaves from plants.
3. Allelopathy: suppression of growth of a plant by a toxin released from a nearby plant of the same or another species.
4. Vascular: any of various plants, such as the ferns and seed-bearing plants, in which the phloem transports sugar and the xylem transports water and salts.
5. Decurrent: extending down the stem below the place of insertion, as certain leaves.
6. Deciduous: plants, including trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials, that lose all of their leaves for part of the year.

About

Hello, and welcome to the GreenDome. This little corner of the internet is dedicated to - you've guessed it - the green things that keep our lungs filled with oxygen. That's plants for those of you who didn't get it. Not Wi-Fi. Why is it called GreenDome, you may ask? Because plants are green and I like domes, and it's my blog so I could call it Fluffy McSkuttle's Guide to Leafy Shit and that would be okay. You'll soon learn that I'm not condescending, I just have a very unique sense of humor aimed at breaking up what is generally accepted by the masses as a dull topic. My goal is to keep your interest long enough to teach you something and open your eyes to the fact that all that green stuff has many valuable uses - and it would be wise to make sure we still have some of it in 30 years or so.

What can you expect to find here? Well, dear meat sack, I'll tell you. Science. That's right, I said science. I'm not all witty remarks and eyebrow wiggles. I know science. And you can too! Kindly steer your attention to the tags on the right side of the blog. Pick a topic, click, and go! I'll touch on everything from the anatomy of a plant to different biomes, conservation to gardening, fun facts to current news, and even - gasp! - GMOs! (Spoiler alert: science says good, fear-mongering masses say bad. Breaking news: Bill Nye says he's in love with GMOs and his new book will tell you why!)

“I went to Monsanto,” [Bill] Nye said, “and I spent a lot of time with the scientists there, and I have revised my outlook, and I’m very excited about telling the world. When you’re in love, you want to tell the world.” The Washington Post

We'll laugh, we'll cry (mostly me because I actually have to put forth effort), and who knows? Maybe we'll learn a thing or two.

I'm not your Average Joe. You don't have to be either.

Let's learn some shit.

- Your Friendly Neighborhood Plant Scientist