ANTH 433 - Humans in the World of Plants

Human welfare is inextricably bound to the diversity and abundance of plant life on earth. Plants provide the food and material sustenance of human societies. As foundations for terrestrial ecosystems, plants constitute major determinants and indicators of environmental conditions. This class will first give an understanding of the biology of plants, including details of their structures (e.g., roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, seeds) and their incredible diversity (e.g., ferns, conifers, angiosperms). This introduction will enable students to have a full appreciation of how plants supply foods, structural materials, medicines and support the functioning of ecosystems. This leads naturally to applications in archaeology, ethnobotany, anthropology, and human geography as well as the place of people in the biosphere.