Botantist - Career Advice - Research and Development

Phycologist

Botanists study the biology of plants, fungi and other related organisms, such as lichens and algae. By studying different plants, botanists observe and record the impacts of pollution and human activity, the way plants breed and grow, and the structure and genetic make-up of various species. FutureGrowthModerate

This knowledge can be used to develop and promote environmental protection programs, improve plant growing techniques, and identify and extract plant products used in medicines, food, fabrics and other products.

Some botanists may also search for and classify new plant species. It is also common for botanists to present their findings in scientific reports, which may be published in journals and/or presented as lectures.

ANZSCO ID & Description: 234515: Studies the anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and ecology of plants.

Alternative names: Plant Scientist

Specialisations:

Agronomist,
Ethnobotanist,
Mycologist,
Paleobotanist,
Palynologist,
Phycologist
Plant Morphologist
Plant Parasitologist
Plant Pathologist,
Plant Physiologist,
Plant Taxonomist

Knowledge, skills and attributes

A botanist needs: In field

to enjoy and have an aptitude for scientific research
patience
good communication skills
a methodical approach to work
a logical and enquiring mind

Duties and Tasks

Investigates the effects of environmental factors, such as rainfall, pollution,temperature, sunlight, soil, topography and disease, on plant growth.
identify, classify, record and monitor plant species
study how plants grow, reproduce and make food
undertake surveys and environmental impact assessments
manage a botanical collection
determine research methods and objectives
undertake research using laboratory methods or specialised equipment
present research results or publish research papers
teach at a university.

Botanists often specialise in the study of one type or group of plants as their career progresses.

Working conditions

Botanists may work primarily indoors, usually in clean well-lit laboratories, while others will spend the bulk of their time conducting fieldwork, either outdoors or in greenhouses.

Those working outdoors will be exposed to different weather conditions depending on the environment they are visiting, which in Australia can vary from lush forests to hot, dry deserts. Some botanists may even focus their studies on marine plants and will spend time collecting samples from underwater. They generally work standard office hours, however, some research may be carried out at night or need regular attention, which could involve working on weekends.

Your working hours would vary according to your place of work or the projects you are working on. Some research processes involve continuous monitoring, which could mean working at evenings and weekends.

Many botanists work in colleges and universities where they teach and conduct research. Some botanists work for government agencies, in private industry or in museums and botanical gardens.

Fieldwork can involve travel, so you might have to spend periods of time away from home. You may need a current drivers' licence.

Tools and technologies

Botanists use a variety of equipment depending on whether they are working in the field or in a laboratory. When in the field they may use secateurs, trowels or other hand tools to collect plant samples, which are may be transported in airtight sample bags.

Cameras may also be used to document plant species when it is not practical or desirable to collect a physical sample, such as for particularly rare plants. Many botanists also use a compass and map or Global Positioning System (GPS) for navigation.

In the laboratory they use microscopes and various staining techniques to examine samples. Plant presses are also commonly used to preserve samples, and a wide range of reference material can be used to help identify samples.

Education and training/entrance requirements

To become a botanist you generally have to complete a science degree with a major in botany, plant science or a closely related field. Completion of a postgraduate qualification may also improve your employment prospects.

Most of the universities in Australia offer science degrees in relevant fields. Contact the universities you are interested in for more information.

Employment Opportunities

Employment of scientists of all types is expected to grow slower than the average for all occupations.

Employment opportunities often rely on government funded research, which is variable.

Did You Know?

The one fact about plants that most people probably remember from school is that they use sunlight to make their own food. That process, photosynthesis, means that plants are dependent on sunlight. But as anyone who’s forgotten to put suncream on during their day at the beach knows, the sun can also be damaging. So how do plants absorb the light they need while avoiding damage from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays? The short answer is by making their own sunscreen. And new research is helping us to understand exactly how that process works...

This protection comes from a suite of natural plant chemicals, mostly phenolics. These phenolic compounds act as natural sunscreens, strongly absorbing UV but not the wavelengths needed for photosynthesis.

Just as with human skin pigments, the amount of these natural sunscreens varies between plants. Some plants, typically those that come from the tropics or from high-altitude mountains, have high levels of protection all the time. Others only produce sunscreens when exposed to higher levels of UVB, equivalent to tanning in humans.

That leads to another question. If plants produce their sunscreens based on their exposure to UV, how do they detect that exposure? And how do plants detect UVB?

UVR8 was first detected in Arabidopsis thaliana Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
.
It has only been in the last decade or so that plant scientists have shown that plants detect UVB very specifically using a protein known as UVR8 (short for UV resistance locus 8). Plants that lack UVR8 cannot induce protective sunscreens and are severely damaged by the UV present in summer sunlight.

Researchers are still actively investigating the fundamental mechanisms by which UVR8 controls plant response to UVB. We’ve known for some time that UVR8 absorbs UVB, causing changes that ultimately allow the UVR8 protein to accumulate in the nuclei of the plant’s cells. This is a necessary step in the chain of responses that allow plants to protect themselves against UVB damage.

New research from the University of Geneva showed that UVB responses depend on interactions between UVR8 and another protein called COP1 (constitutively photomorphogenic 1). This protein interacts with other various molecules (HY5, SPA and RUP) in a plant’s cells to send a signal controlling the build up of sunscreen phenolics in response to UVB.

More sustainable crops

This might seem like an alphabet soup of abbreviations but the signalling system it represents affects us all through its role in the plants produced by farms as crops. We now know that plants use UVB as a signal to change their chemistry in ways that affects much more than just their UV protection.

UV exposure produces biochemical changes that can increase resistance to pest and disease attack. The UVB in sunlight improves the colour, taste and scent of fruits, vegetables and flowers. UVB exposure also increases levels of plant chemicals that are thought to be valuable in the human diet.

The new research adds to our increasing understanding that the UVB in sunlight shouldn’t be seen just in terms of damage. So long as we keep protecting the ozone layer, the effects of UVB will be just one part of plants’ normal responses to their environment. And the more we understand these responses, the more we can use that knowledge to produce more sustainable crops, improving their quality and reducing the use of pesticides.
(Source: The Conversation)

A phycologist is a research scientist who specializes in algae and cyanobacteria (often known as blue-green algae). FutureGrowthModerate

Phycology is the study of algae, or microscopic photosynthetic organisms that play a major role in many aquatic ecosystems. Phycology might be grouped either under microbiology or botany, due to the uniqueness of these organisms. Phycologists handle complicated experiments to learn about the properties of algae, where it is found, and what benefit or harm it might cause in various environments.

Brown, green and red seaweeds of Cape Peron
(Source: ABC Sunday)

ANZSCO ID: 234515

Alternative names: Algologist,

Knowledge, skills and attributes

Phycologists must also have valued skills like critical thinking, mathematics, critical thinking, speaking and writing.

Phycologist at work
Seaweed Farms
(Source: Australian Museum)

Duties and Tasks

As a working phycologist, you'll primarily be responsible for collecting samples of algae and studying them to determine how they affect the ecosystem. You'll spend much of your time working outdoors to collect samples of algae near rivers, oceans and lakes. You'll also take accurate reports of your findings, recording how different types of algae change in their environments over time.

Many phycologists also spend a great deal of time conducting experiments with algae in controlled laboratory settings. For example, you may devise experiments to determine how different types of algae react to different environmental conditions or to learn about the molecular structures of algae. A phycologist executes the following duties:

Undertake extensive experiments to gain insights on the properties of algae, where it is frequently found and how it interacts with different environments.
Go on expeditions to remote locations with the purpose of collecting algae samples and study them to assess their role in the surrounding ecosystem.
Conduct experiments with different algae in controlled laboratories for further research.

Working conditions

A phycologist spends most his or her days working on research, teaching and sharing their findings with academic audiences. In such a scenario, you'll be responsible for conducting research into the properties and genetic makeup of different types of algae. Research can involve collecting specimens, building theoretical knowledge in biochemistry and biology and keeping detailed records of research. The best part about working in this profession is the ability to combine field work with laboratory experiments. You may travel quite often between a recently discovered field site and your lab to further your understanding of algae. For example, you might conduct experiments to figure out how varied types of algae react to changes in environmental conditions or to further comprehend the molecular makeup of algae.

To successfully publish your findings, you must have collected an entire set of data and organised it into a report format that is edited according to journal guidelines. You may also be invited to speaking engagements based on your written work and take part in panel discussions or seminars. If you are also teaching at an academic institution, you will be spending your day in classrooms and grading homework assignments while balancing your research on the side.

As a phycologist, you could pursue a position working directly within the private industry. Some agribusiness companies or water treatment facilities hire phycologists to try to create renewable sources of energy from algae. Some phycologists also work to develop new food products for private businesses.

Seaweed collection
(Source: Australian Geographic)

Tools and technologies

In this profession, you must be adept at operating a wide range of scientific equipment, which includes binocular light compound microscopes, spectrometers, centrifuges, lasers, light scattering equipment and more. Since you will be using various software to analyse your findings, familiarity with analytical, photo imaging and graphic applications is a must.

Education and training/entrance requirements

Phycology is a field related to advanced scientific research. If you're interested in pursuing a long-term career in the subject, you should strongly consider earning a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or at least a master's degree in phycology. Most such programs have the broad aim of providing students with the means to accumulate and analyze knowledge in a scientific field. As a graduate student, you'll study principles of ecology and phycology, but also learn how to interpret your studies to advance the collective knowledge of the subject.

Did You Know?

The following information is taken from
Gardening Australia - "Hangers On"
published 9 February 2024
Watch the video on the Gardening Australia's link

Botanist Ryan Craig is completing a PhD on botanical parasitology – that is, plants that feed off other plants for their nutrients and water.

There are 4,500 plants around the world that do this.

One that Ryan has a special interest in grows locally in the Perth hills, often on a favourite host plant, the native 'egg and bacon' plants, Daviesia angulata.

The parasitic plant is called Pilostyles hamiltoniorum, and while there are 134 species of Daviesia in WA, Pilostyles will only grow on 10 of them.

There are 11 species of Pilostyles in the world, including three in Australia – all endemic to WA. All the species infect shrubs from the pea family.

The Pilostyles looks like tiny buds along the stem of the host plant, but these are actually flowers erupting from the main part of the parasitic plant, which is hidden inside the stem of the plant.

Ryan is keen to learn more about how the two plants interact.

The parasitic plant has no leaves, so it is not photosynthesising, and it has no stem or roots. Yet somehow these plants not only flower but are pollinated by native bees, then form purple berries containing up to 100 tiny seeds – but no-one quite knows how these seeds are distributed, nor how they germinate or find their way into a new host plant.

Weirder still, its closest relatives are the Cucurbit family, which includes cucumbers and pumpkins.

The plants are doing some considerable damage as they force their way through the internal structure of the host's stems, but another mystery is that some host plants don't seem affected by their presence, and others struggle.

Another challenge for science is to work out if there are multiple Pilostyles plants within each host or one single plant.

"There's a lifetime of research that could go into this plant," says Ryan.

Agronomist	Biochemist	Biotechnologist	Illustrator Botanical Illustrator
Marine Biologist	Microbiologist	Virologist

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