research paper topics botany

100+ Botany Research Topics [Updated 2024]

Botany, the scientific study of plants, holds the key to understanding the intricate and fascinating world of flora that surrounds us. As we delve into the realm of botany research, we uncover a vast array of botany research topics that not only contribute specifically to our scientific knowledge but also play an important role in addressing real-world challenges. 

In this blog, we will embark on a journey through the rich landscape of botany research, exploring various captivating topics that researchers are delving into.

How to Select Botany Research Topics?

Table of Contents

Selecting an appropriate and engaging botany research topic is a crucial step in the research process. Whether you are a student working on a thesis, a scientist planning a research project, or someone passionate about exploring the wonders of plant biology, the right choice of topic can significantly impact the success and enjoyment of your research. 

Here are some guidelines on how to select botany research topics:

• Identify Your Interests:
• Start by reflecting on your own personal interests within the field of botany. Consider the aspects of plant biology that fascinate you the most. 
• Whether it’s plant physiology, taxonomy, ecology, genetics, or any other subfield, choosing a topic aligned with your interests can make the research process more enjoyable.
• Review Literature:
• Conduct a thorough review and it will be of existing literature in botany. Explore recent research articles, journals, and books to identify gaps in knowledge, emerging trends, and areas where further investigation is needed. 
• This can help you find inspiration and identify potential research questions.
• Consider Relevance:
• Assess the relevance of your chosen topic to the current state of botany and its applications. Consider how your research could contribute to addressing real-world challenges, advancing scientific knowledge, or informing practical solutions. 
• Relevant research topics often garner more attention and support.
• Evaluate Feasibility:
• Evaluate all possible feasibility of your chosen topic in terms of available resources, time constraints, and research capabilities. 
• Consider the accessibility of study sites, the availability of equipment and materials, and the level of expertise required. A feasible research topic is one that aligns with your resources and constraints.
• Collaborate and Seek Guidance:
• Discuss your ideas with mentors, professors, or colleagues in the field. 
• Collaborative discussions can provide valuable insights, help refine your research questions, and guide you toward topics that align with current research priorities.
• Consider working with a professional academic editor to review your work after you’ve finished writing it.
• Explore Emerging Technologies:
• Consider incorporating emerging technologies and methodologies in your research. This not only adds a contemporary dimension to your study but also opens up new possibilities for exploration. 
• Technologies like CRISPR-Cas9, high-throughput sequencing, and remote sensing have revolutionized botany research.
• Think Interdisciplinary:
• Botany often intersects with various other disciplines, such as ecology, genetics, molecular biology, environmental science, and more. 
• Consider interdisciplinary approaches to your research, as this can lead to innovative and comprehensive insights.
• Address Global Challenges:
• Botany research can play a crucial role in addressing global challenges like climate change, food security, and biodiversity loss. 
• Choosing a topic that contributes to solving or mitigating these challenges adds societal relevance to your work.
• Explore Local Flora:
• If applicable, explore the flora of your local region. Investigating plant species native to your area can have practical implications for local conservation, biodiversity studies, and environmental management.
• Stay Inquisitive and Open-Minded:
• Keep an open mind and stay curious. Scientific research often involves unexpected discoveries, and being open to exploration can lead to novel and exciting findings. 
• Be willing to adapt your research questions based on your findings and new insights.

100+ Botany Research Topics For All Students

Plant physiology.

• The Role of Plant Hormones in Growth and Development
• Mechanisms of Photosynthesis: A Comprehensive Study
• Impact of Environmental Stress on Plant Physiology
• Water Use Efficiency in Plants: Regulation and Adaptation
• Nutrient Uptake and Transport in Plants
• Signaling Pathways in Plant Defense Mechanisms
• Regulation of Flowering Time in Plants
• Physiological Responses of Plants to Climate Change
• Role of Mycorrhizal Associations in Plant Nutrition
• Stress Tolerance Mechanisms in Halophytic Plants

Plant Taxonomy

• Phylogenetic Analysis of a Plant Family: Case Study
• Integrating Molecular Systematics in Plant Taxonomy
• Plant DNA Barcoding for Species Identification
• Revision of a Plant Genus: Taxonomic Challenges
• Cryptic Species in Plant Taxonomy: Detection and Implications
• Floristic Diversity in a Specific Geographic Region
• Evolutionary Trends in Angiosperms
• Ethnobotanical Contributions to Plant Taxonomy
• Application of GIS in Plant Taxonomy
• Conservation Status Assessment of Endangered Plant Species

Plant Ecology

• Ecosystem Services Provided by Plants
• Dynamics of Plant-Animal Interactions in a Habitat
• Impact of Invasive Plant Species on Native Flora
• Plant Community Composition Along Environmental Gradients
• Ecological Consequences of Plant-Pollinator Decline
• Microbial Interactions in the Rhizosphere
• Plant Responses to Fire: Adaptation and Recovery
• Climate Change Effects on Plant Phenology
• Restoration Ecology: Reintroducing Native Plants
• Plant-Soil Feedbacks and Ecosystem Stability

Plant Pathology

• Molecular Mechanisms of Plant-Pathogen Interactions
• Emerging Plant Diseases: Causes and Consequences
• Integrated Disease Management in Agriculture
• Fungal Pathogens: Diversity and Control Strategies
• Plant Immunity and Defense Mechanisms
• Resistance Breeding Against Viral Pathogens
• Bacterial Diseases in Crop Plants: Diagnosis and Management
• Impact of Climate Change on Plant Pathogen Dynamics
• Biocontrol Agents for Plant Disease Management
• Genetic Basis of Host Susceptibility to Plant Pathogens

Ethnobotany

• Traditional Medicinal Plants: Documentation and Validation
• Cultural Significance of Plants in Indigenous Communities
• Ethnobotanical Survey of a Specific Region
• Sustainable Harvesting Practices of Medicinal Plants
• Traditional Plant Use in Rituals and Ceremonies
• Plant-Based Foods in Indigenous Diets
• Ethnopharmacological Studies on Antimicrobial Plants
• Conservation of Ethnobotanical Knowledge
• Ethnobotanical Contributions to Modern Medicine
• Indigenous Perspectives on Plant Conservation

Genetic and Molecular Biology

• CRISPR-Cas9 Applications in Plant Genome Editing
• Epigenetics in Plant Development and Stress Response
• Functional Genomics of Plant Responses to Abiotic Stress
• Genetic Diversity in Crop Plants and its Conservation
• Genetic Mapping and Marker-Assisted Selection in Plant Breeding
• Genome Sequencing of Non-Model Plant Species
• RNA Interference in Plant Gene Regulation
• Comparative Genomics of Plant Evolution
• Genetic Basis of Plant Adaptation to Extreme Environments
• Plant Epigenome Editing: Methods and Applications

Plant Anatomy and Morphology

• Comparative Anatomy of C3 and C4 Plants
• Xylem and Phloem Development in Plants
• Leaf Anatomy and Adaptations to Photosynthesis
• Morphological Diversity in Plant Reproductive Structures
• Evolution of Floral Symmetry in Angiosperms
• Root Architecture and its Functional Significance
• Stem Cell Dynamics in Plant Meristems
• Comparative Morphology of Succulent Plants
• Tissue Regeneration in Plants: Mechanisms and Applications
• Wood Anatomy and Tree-Ring Analysis in Dendrochronology

Climate Change and Plant Responses

• Impact of Global Warming on Alpine Plant Communities
• Plant Responses to Elevated CO2 Levels
• Drought Tolerance Mechanisms in Plants
• Shifts in Plant Phenology Due to Climate Change
• Climate-Induced Changes in Plant-Pollinator Interactions
• Carbon Sequestration Potential of Forest Ecosystems
• Ocean Acidification Effects on Seagrass Physiology
• Plant Responses to Increased Frequency of Extreme Events
• Alpine Plant Adaptations to Harsh Environments
• Climate-Driven Changes in Plant Distribution and Biogeography

Emerging Technologies in Botany Research

• Application of Machine Learning in Plant Phenotyping
• Nanotechnology in Plant Science: Current Status and Future Prospects
• Metagenomics in Studying Plant Microbiomes
• Remote Sensing for Monitoring Plant Health
• High-Throughput Sequencing in Plant Genomics
• CRISPR-Based Gene Drives for Ecological Restoration
• Advances in Plant Imaging Techniques
• Synthetic Biology Approaches in Plant Engineering
• Augmented Reality Applications in Plant Biology Education
• Digital Herbariums: Integrating Technology in Plant Taxonomy

Misc Botany Research Topics

• Metabolic Pathways in Plant Secondary Metabolism: Regulation and Significance
• Population Genomics of Endangered Plant Species: Implications for Conservation
• Impact of Soil Microbes on Plant Health and Productivity
• Evolutionary Dynamics of Plant-Pathogen Coevolution: Insights from Molecular Data
• Application of CRISPR-Based Gene Editing for Improving Crop Traits
• Phytochemical Profiling of Medicinal Plants for Drug Discovery
• Investigating the Role of Epigenetic Modifications in Plant Stress Responses
• Role of Plant Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Ecological Interactions
• Biotic and Abiotic Factors Influencing Plant Microbiome Composition
• Molecular Basis of Plant-Microbe Symbiosis: Lessons from Nitrogen-Fixing Associations

How to Make Botany Research Successful?

Conducting successful botany research involves a combination of careful planning, effective execution, and thoughtful analysis. Whether you are a student, a researcher, or someone conducting independent studies, here are key tips to ensure the success of your botany research:

• Establish Clear Objectives: Clearly articulate the goals and objectives of your research. What specific inquiries do you intend to address? A well-defined research focus serves as a guiding framework, ensuring your efforts remain purposeful and on course.
• Conduct an In-Depth Literature Review: Immerse yourself in the existing body of literature within your field of study. Identify gaps, discern trends, and pinpoint areas where your research could contribute significantly. A thorough literature review lays a robust groundwork for shaping your research design.
• Choose an Appropriate Research Topic: Select a research topic that resonates with your interests, aligns with your expertise, and addresses the current needs of the scientific community. Ensure that the chosen topic is not only feasible but also harbors the potential for impactful outcomes.
• Develop a Sound Research Plan: Create a detailed research plan outlining the methodologies, timelines, and resources required. A well-structured plan helps in efficient execution and minimizes the risk of unforeseen challenges.
• Utilize Cutting-Edge Technologies: Stay updated with the latest technologies and methodologies in botany research. Incorporate advanced tools such as high-throughput sequencing, CRISPR-Cas9 , and remote sensing to enhance the precision and efficiency of your research.
• Collaborate and Seek Guidance: Collaborate with experts in the field, seek mentorship, and engage in discussions with colleagues. Networking and collaboration can provide valuable insights, guidance, and potential avenues for collaboration.
• Ensure Ethical Considerations: Adhere to ethical guidelines and standards in your research. Obtain necessary approvals for human subjects, follow ethical practices in plant experimentation, and ensure the responsible use of emerging technologies.
• Implement Robust Experimental Design: Design experiments with attention to detail, ensuring that they are replicable and provide statistically significant results. Address potential confounding variables and incorporate controls to enhance the reliability of your findings.
• Collect and Analyze Data Thoughtfully: Implement systematic data collection methods. Use appropriate statistical analyses to interpret your results and draw meaningful conclusions. Transparent and well-documented data analysis enhances the credibility of your research.
• Regularly Review and Adapt: Periodically review your progress and be open to adapting your research plan based on emerging findings. Flexibility and responsiveness to unexpected results contribute to a dynamic and successful research process.
• Communicate Your Research Effectively: Share your findings through publications, presentations, and other relevant channels. Effective communication of your research results contributes to the broader scientific community and enhances the impact of your work.
• Foster a Collaborative Research Environment: Encourage collaboration within your research team. A collaborative environment fosters creativity, diverse perspectives, and a collective effort towards achieving research goals.
• Contribute to Sustainable Practices: If your research involves fieldwork or plant collection, adhere to sustainable practices. Consider the impact on local ecosystems and strive to minimize any negative consequences.
• Stay Resilient: Research can have its challenges, setbacks, and unforeseen obstacles. Stay resilient, remain focused on your goals, and view challenges as opportunities for growth and learning.
• Celebrate Achievements and Learn from Failures: Acknowledge and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. Learn from any setbacks or failures and use them as lessons to refine and improve your research approach.

In the vast and diverse field of botany research, scientists are continually unraveling the mysteries of the plant kingdom. From the intricate processes of photosynthesis to the challenges posed by emerging plant diseases and the potential of cutting-edge technologies, botany research is a dynamic and ever-evolving field. 

As we delve deeper into the green secrets of the plant world, our understanding grows, offering not only scientific insights but also solutions to address pressing global challenges such as food security, biodiversity loss, and climate change. 

The exploration of botany research topics is a journey of discovery, paving the way for a sustainable and harmonious coexistence with the plant life that sustains our planet.

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A Breakdown Of Common Topics In Botany Papers

Botany, the scientific study of plants, encompasses a diverse array of disciplines that delve into the intricacies of plant life. As a cornerstone of biological sciences, botany provides invaluable insights into the fascinating world of flora, from the microscopic structures of cells to the vast ecosystems where plants thrive. In this blog, we will discuss the most important topics in botany papers at universities in Canada . 

Table of Contents

Botany As A Scientific Discipline

Botany, also known as plant biology, is a branch of biology that focuses on the study of plants, including algae, fungi, mosses, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants. The discipline encompasses a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from the molecular and cellular levels to ecological and evolutionary aspects. Botanists examine plant structure, function, growth, reproduction, and their interactions with the environment.

Botany research papers play a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of the plant kingdom. These scholarly articles serve as conduits for sharing groundbreaking research, new discoveries, and innovative methodologies within the scientific community. Through the dissemination of knowledge in peer-reviewed journals, botany papers contribute to the collective body of information that shapes the trajectory of botanical science.

The importance of a botany thesis or dissertation extends beyond academic circles, influencing agricultural practices, environmental conservation, pharmaceutical discoveries, and even our basic understanding of life on Earth. 

Taxonomy, a fundamental aspect of botany, is the science of classifying and naming living organisms. In the context of plants, taxonomy involves categorizing them based on shared characteristics, relationships, and evolutionary history. The systematic organization provided by taxonomy serves as a crucial framework for understanding plant diversity, aiding in communication among scientists and facilitating further research.

In botany research paper format , taxonomy is a cornerstone that underpins various studies, providing a structured approach to exploring and documenting the vast array of plant species. By classifying plants into groups based on shared traits, researchers can unravel the evolutionary relationships among different taxa, contributing to our understanding of plant evolution and biodiversity.

Phylogenetic Analysis

Phylogenetic analysis is a central theme in botany papers that explore the evolutionary relationships between plants. This approach involves constructing phylogenetic trees or cladograms, visually representing the evolutionary history and genetic relatedness of different plant species. Molecular data, such as DNA sequences, are often used to decipher these relationships, offering insights into the branching patterns and common ancestors of plants.

Systematics And Nomenclature

Systematics involves the study of the diversity of organisms and their evolutionary relationships. In botany papers, systematic research often focuses on classifying plants into hierarchical categories based on shared characteristics. This includes the establishment of rules and principles for naming and classifying plants, known as nomenclature.

Botanists employ a standardized system of nomenclature, governed by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), to assign scientific names to plant species. 

Taxonomy Research Paper Topics

• Integration of Morphological and Molecular Data in Modern Taxonomy
• The Impact of Next-Generation Sequencing on Resolving Taxonomic Uncertainties
• Taxonomic Revisions: Case Studies in Reevaluating Species Boundaries
• The Role of DNA Barcoding in Identifying and Classifying Biodiversity
• Challenges and Opportunities in Integrating Traditional and Molecular Taxonomy
• Evolutionary Trends in Taxonomic Diversification: Lessons from Key Plant Families
• Exploring Cryptic Species: Hidden Diversity in Taxonomic Classification
• The Influence of Environmental Factors on Taxonomic Variation in Microorganisms
• Taxonomy and Conservation: Prioritizing Species for Protection
• Phylogenetic Reconstruction and Biogeography: Tracing Evolutionary History

Plant Physiology

Plant physiology is the branch of botany that explores the internal processes and mechanisms governing the life and functioning of plants. It discusses the physiological activities that occur within plant cells, tissues, and organs. Understanding plant physiology is essential for unravelling the fundamental processes that sustain plant life and influence growth, development, and responses to environmental stimuli.

The physiological processes in plants are diverse and interconnected, involving molecular, biochemical, and biophysical mechanisms. These processes include photosynthesis, respiration, water and nutrient uptake, hormonal regulation, and many others. Each contributes to the overall health and functionality of plants, allowing them to adapt to changing conditions and thrive in various environments.

Photosynthesis And Respiration

Photosynthesis, a fundamental process in plant physiology, involves the conversion of light energy into chemical energy, primarily in the form of glucose. This process occurs in chloroplasts, where pigments such as chlorophyll capture sunlight and convert it into chemical energy through a series of complex biochemical reactions.

Water And Nutrient Uptake

Water and nutrient uptake are vital physiological processes that sustain plant life. Roots play a crucial role in absorbing water and essential nutrients from the soil, transporting them through the plant’s vascular system to support various physiological functions. 

Researchers investigate how plants adapt to varying nutrient levels, the impact of mycorrhizal associations on nutrient uptake, and the strategies plants employ to cope with water stress. These studies contribute not only to our understanding of plant physiology but also have implications for optimizing agricultural practices and addressing challenges related to water and nutrient availability in different ecosystems.

Hormonal Regulation In Plants

Hormonal regulation is a complex and tightly controlled aspect of plant physiology that influences growth, development, and responses to environmental stimuli. Plant hormones, such as auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid, and ethylene, play key roles in coordinating various physiological processes.

Plant Physiology Research Paper Topics

• Photosynthetic Efficiency in Response to Environmental Stressors: A Comparative Study
• Mechanisms of Water Transport in Plants: From Roots to Leaves
• The Role of Plant Hormones in Coordinating Growth and Development
• Metabolic Adaptations of Plants to Nutrient Limitation: Insights from Molecular Studies
• Stomatal Regulation and Water Use Efficiency in Crops: Implications for Agriculture
• Cellular Signaling in Plant Responses to Abiotic Stress: Unraveling the Molecular Mechanisms
• Impact of Elevated Carbon Dioxide Levels on Plant Physiology and Growth
• Nitrogen Metabolism in Plants: Integration of Nitrate and Ammonium Assimilation
• Role of Phytochromes in Plant Photomorphogenesis: From Seed Germination to Flowering
• Understanding the Molecular Basis of Plant-Pathogen Interactions: Host Defense Mechanisms

Ecology And Biodiversity

Ecology, a pivotal branch of botany, examines the relationships between organisms and their environments. In the context of plants, ecological studies shed light on how they interact with other living organisms, the physical and chemical characteristics of their habitats, and the impact of environmental factors on their growth and survival. Understanding the connections between plants and their surroundings is essential for elucidating ecological processes and conserving biodiversity.

Plants, as primary producers, play a foundational role in ecosystems by converting sunlight into energy through photosynthesis. Their interactions with soil microorganisms, herbivores, pollinators, and other plants contribute to the dynamic balance of ecosystems. Ecological studies in botany explore the flow of energy and nutrients within ecosystems, the coevolution of plants with other organisms, and the broader impact of these interactions on biodiversity.

Ecosystem Interactions

Botany papers frequently delve into the complex interactions between plants and their biotic and abiotic environments. Ecosystem interactions encompass a wide range of topics, including plant-animal interactions, mutualistic relationships, competition for resources, and the role of plants in shaping their ecosystems.

Research in this area may focus on the relationships within plant communities, exploring how different species coexist and compete for resources. Additionally, studies may investigate the role of plants in providing habitat and sustenance for other organisms, such as pollinators, herbivores, and decomposers. 

Conservation Biology

Conservation biology is a critical facet of botany that addresses the preservation of plant species, ecosystems, and biodiversity. Botany papers in conservation biology explore the threats facing plant populations, the impact of habitat loss, climate change, and invasive species, and strategies for mitigating these challenges.

Researchers may investigate the distribution and abundance of rare or endangered plant species, assess the effectiveness of protected areas, and develop conservation plans to safeguard plant diversity. Conservation-oriented botany papers contribute valuable insights into the sustainable management of natural resources, restoration ecology, and the protection of plant species facing the risk of extinction.

Plant Adaptations To Environmental Factors

Plants have evolved a myriad of adaptations to cope with diverse environmental conditions. Botany papers exploring plant adaptations delve into the mechanisms that enable plants to thrive in specific habitats, resist environmental stressors, and respond to changing conditions.

Topics may include physiological adaptations, such as drought tolerance and salt resistance, as well as morphological adaptations, like specialized root structures or leaf modifications. 

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Ecology And Biodiversity Research Paper Topics

Genetics and genomics.

Plant genetics and genomics constitute a fascinating area of botany that explores the hereditary traits and molecular mechanisms governing plant development, evolution, and adaptation. Genetics delves into the study of individual genes, their inheritance patterns, and the variations that occur within populations, while genomics encompasses the detailed analysis of an organism’s entire set of genes (genome) and their functions.

Genetic Diversity

Genetic diversity is a fundamental aspect of plant biology that explores the variety of genetic material within a population or species. Botany papers often delve into the factors influencing genetic diversity, such as reproductive mechanisms, population size, and environmental pressures. Researchers study the distribution of genetic variations among plant populations to assess their adaptability, resilience, and potential responses to environmental changes.

Understanding genetic diversity is crucial for plant conservation, breeding programs, and the development of crops with improved traits. Botany papers in this domain contribute to our knowledge of the factors shaping genetic diversity and its implications for the long-term survival and evolution of plant species.

Molecular Markers And Genetic Mapping

Molecular markers and genetic mapping play a pivotal role in plant genetics by aiding in the identification and mapping of specific genes or genomic regions associated with particular traits. Botany papers may focus on the development and application of molecular markers, such as DNA sequences or protein variants, to track genetic variations within plant populations.

Genetic mapping involves creating maps that illustrate the locations of genes on a plant’s chromosomes. These maps provide insights into the inheritance patterns of traits and assist in the selection of desirable traits for breeding programs. Botany papers in this area contribute to the refinement of genetic maps, the discovery of quantitative trait loci (QTLs), and the advancement of marker-assisted breeding techniques.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

The development and application of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture and research are prominent topics in plant genetics. Botany papers related to GMOs explore the introduction of foreign genes into plant genomes to confer specific traits, such as resistance to pests, tolerance to environmental stress, or improved nutritional content.

Researchers in this field investigate the molecular mechanisms behind genetic modifications, assess the potential environmental and ecological impacts of GMOs, and explore ethical considerations associated with their use. Botany papers contribute to the ongoing dialogue surrounding the development and regulation of GMOs, addressing concerns related to biodiversity, food security, and the coexistence of genetically modified and non-modified crops.

Genetics And Genomics Research Paper Topics

• Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS): Applications in Unraveling Complex Traits
• CRISPR/Cas9 Technology: Current Advances and Ethical Implications in Genetic Engineering
• Functional Genomics: Integrating Genotype and Phenotype for a Comprehensive Understanding
• Epigenetic Modifications and Their Influence on Gene Expression in Development and Disease
• Population Genomics: Tracking Genetic Variation Across Different Populations
• Genetic Basis of Human Diseases: Insights from Genomic Medicine
• Comparative Genomics of Model Organisms: Unraveling Evolutionary Relationships
• The Role of Non-Coding RNAs in Gene Regulation and Genome Function
• Evolutionary Genomics: Studying Genetic Changes Over Geological Time Scales
• Personalized Genomics: Tailoring Medical Treatments Based on Individual Genetic Profiles

Plant Pathology

Plant pathology is a specialized field within botany that focuses on the study of plant diseases, their causes, and their impact on plant health and productivity. Just as animals can suffer from diseases, plants are susceptible to various pathogens, including fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, and other microorganisms. Plant diseases can manifest as visible symptoms, such as wilting, discoloration, lesions, and deformities, ultimately affecting plant growth, development, and yield.

Identification And Control Of Plant Diseases

Botany papers in plant pathology often focus on the identification and control of plant diseases. Identification involves recognizing the causal agents of diseases, understanding the symptoms they induce, and distinguishing between different types of diseases. Researchers use a combination of field observations, laboratory tests, and molecular techniques to accurately identify pathogens and diagnose diseases.

Interactions Between Plants And Pathogens

The interactions between plants and pathogens form a central theme in botany papers related to plant pathology. Researchers delve into the molecular and biochemical mechanisms that govern the recognition and response of plants to invading pathogens. This includes the study of plant defence mechanisms, the activation of immune responses, and the ways in which pathogens evade or suppress plant defences.

Plant Pathology Research Paper Topics

• Emerging Plant Pathogens: Investigation and Management Strategies
• Role of Fungicides in Controlling Crop Diseases: Efficacy and Environmental Impact
• Molecular Mechanisms of Plant-Pathogen Interactions: Insights into Disease Resistance
• Epidemiology of Plant Viruses: Spread, Impact, and Control Measures
• Biological Control of Plant Pathogens: Harnessing Microbial Antagonists
• Genetic Resistance in Plants: Breeding for Disease Resistance in Crops
• Impact of Climate Change on Plant Disease Dynamics and Distribution
• Understanding Soil-Borne Pathogens: Management Approaches and Soil Health
• Emergence and Evolution of Fungal Pathogens: Genetic Diversity and Adaptation
• Integrated Disease Management in Agriculture: Combining Biological, Chemical, and Cultural Strategies

Ethnobotany

Ethnobotany is a multidisciplinary field that explores the relationships between plants and people, particularly focusing on the traditional knowledge and uses of plants by different cultures, especially indigenous communities. This interdisciplinary approach combines elements of anthropology, botany, ecology, and pharmacology to investigate how plants play a significant role in the cultural, spiritual, economic, and medicinal aspects of human societies.

The relevance of ethnobotany lies in its ability to preserve and document traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) held by indigenous and local communities. By understanding the traditional uses of plants, ethnobotanists contribute to the conservation of biodiversity, sustainable resource management, and the recognition of indigenous rights. Ethnobotanical studies also provide valuable insights into the potential applications of plant resources in various fields, including medicine, agriculture, and cultural practices.

Traditional Uses Of Plants By Indigenous Communities

Botany papers in ethnobotany often explore the traditional uses of plants by indigenous communities. Researchers delve into the rich tapestry of knowledge passed down through generations, documenting the uses of plants for food, shelter, clothing, tools, and various cultural practices. Ethnobotanical studies aim to catalogue and understand the diversity of plant uses in different societies, shedding light on the sustainable harvesting practices and conservation strategies employed by indigenous groups.

Through fieldwork and interviews with local communities, botany papers in this area contribute to the preservation of traditional knowledge, fostering collaboration between scientists and indigenous peoples. This interdisciplinary approach helps bridge the gap between scientific understanding and conventional wisdom, promoting the sustainable use of plant resources.

Medicinal Plants And Their Properties

A prominent focus within ethnobotany is the study of medicinal plants and their properties. Indigenous cultures have relied on plants for centuries to address various health and well-being needs. Botany papers in this field investigate the medicinal uses of plants, exploring the active compounds, therapeutic properties, and cultural significance associated with traditional healing practices.

Researchers may conduct pharmacological studies to validate the efficacy of medicinal plants, identifying potential compounds for drug development. Additionally, botany papers in ethnobotany contribute to the understanding of how different cultures approach healthcare, emphasizing the importance of integrating traditional medicine with modern healthcare practices for holistic and culturally sensitive healthcare strategies.

Botany Research Paper Topics

Here is a list of thirty botany research paper topics to help you start your journey in research.

• Impact of Climate Change on Plant Physiology: A Molecular Perspective
• Role of Mycorrhizal Fungi in Plant Nutrient Uptake and Health
• Genetic Modification of Crops for Enhanced Resistance to Pests and Diseases
• Exploring the Diversity of Plant Secondary Metabolites and Their Medicinal Properties
• Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Adaptation to Abiotic Stress
• The Ecology and Conservation of Endangered Plant Species
• Effects of Urbanization on Plant Biodiversity in Metropolitan Areas
• The Evolutionary Significance of Seed Dispersal Mechanisms in Plants
• Understanding the Interactions Between Plants and Insect Pollinators
• Applications of CRISPR/Cas9 Technology in Plant Genome Editing
• Role of Plant Hormones in Growth and Development
• Investigating the Impact of Invasive Plant Species on Native Ecosystems
• Phylogenetic Analysis of Medicinal Plants: Unraveling Evolutionary Relationships
• Study of Plant-Microbe Interactions in Rhizosphere Ecology
• The Role of Plants in Phytoremediation of Soil Contaminants
• Comparative Analysis of Plant Adaptations in Arid and Rainforest Environments
• Molecular Basis of Plant-Microbe Communication in Symbiotic Relationships
• Exploring the Genetic Basis of Plant Resistance to Herbivores
• Effects of Light Pollution on Plant Physiology and Growth
• Role of Epigenetics in Plant Development and Stress Response
• Analyzing the Impact of Fungal Pathogens on Agricultural Crop Yields
• Phytochemical Analysis and Pharmacological Potential of Ethnobotanical Plants
• Investigating the Influence of Plant Root Microbiome on Soil Health
• The Role of Plants in Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change Mitigation
• Comparative Genomics of C4 and CAM Plants: Unraveling Photosynthetic Strategies
• Molecular Basis of Plant Immune Responses to Pathogens
• Biotechnological Approaches for Sustainable Agriculture: Focus on Crop Improvement
• The Relationship Between Plant Diversity and Ecosystem Stability
• The Impact of Agricultural Practices on Soil Microbial Diversity and Plant Health
• Using Remote Sensing Technology for Monitoring and Managing Plant Ecosystems

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the citation style for the canadian journal of botany.

The Canadian Journal of Botany follows the citation style outlined in the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (McGill Guide). It provides guidelines for citing legal and academic sources, ensuring consistency and clarity in citations for articles and papers.

What are journals in botany?

Journals in botany are periodical publications that disseminate original research, reviews, and scholarly articles related to plant biology. These journals serve as platforms for scientists and researchers to share their findings, advancements, and insights within the field of botany.

Where can I study botany in Ontario?

In Ontario, you can study botany at various institutions. Some options include the University of Toronto, McMaster University, University of Guelph, and York University. Check their biology or life sciences departments for specific botany-related programs and courses.

What is the impact factor of the American Journal of Botany?

American Journal of Botany boasts a strong impact factor of 3.325 (2023), placing it among the top journals in its field.

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Botany Research Paper Topics

• Horticulture
• Photosynthesis
• Phototropism

Divisions of botanical study

Biochemists study the effects of soil, temperature, and light on plants. Plant morphologists study the evolution and development of leaves, roots, and stems, with a special focus on the tissues at various points on stems (called buds) where the cells have the ability to divide. Plant pathologists investigate the causes of plant disease and the effect that pathogens, such as bacteria and fungi, have on forest trees, vegetable crops, grain, and ornamental plants. Economic botanists study the impact of plants as they relate to human needs for food, clothing, and shelter. Plant geneticists study the arrangement and behavior of genes (the physical units of heredity) in plants in order to develop crops that are resistant to diseases and pests. Fossil plants are studied by paleobotanists to determine the earliest appearances of various groups of plants and the conditions under which they existed.

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Get 10% off with 24start discount code, interdependence.

Plants and animals depend on one another for their survival. Plants are primary producers that, through photosynthesis, provide nutrients that animals use to carry out vital body processes. Animals, in turn, contribute to plant distribution, plant pollination, and every other aspect of plant growth and development. Together with zoology (the study of animals), botany is an important aspect of the study of ecology (the interrelationship of living things and their environments).

History of botany

The field of botany began to take form with the work of Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 B.C.), the first person to classify plants. He divided them into categories according to size and appearance. Many years later, Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus (1707–1778) contributed greatly to the study of botany by devising a comprehensive classification system for plants that is still used today. In 1753, Linnaeus published his Species Plantarum, in which he classified every known species of plant according to its structure and its similarity to other species. He also gave each plant a two-part name (called binomial nomenclature), consisting of the genus (the biological classification between family and species) and a second descriptive word.

The first scientific experiment in plant nutrition was conducted by Belgian physician Jan Baptista van Helmont (1577–1644). In growing a tree using only water as nourishment, van Helmont proved that the soil in which the tree was planted was not the only source of plant nutrients. English physiologist Stephen Hales (1677–1761) studied plant transpiration (loss of water from the surfaces of plant leaves and stems) and is credited with establishing plant physiology as a science.

During the nineteenth century, advances were made in the study of plant diseases, spurred by the potato blight in Ireland in the 1840s. Caused by a fungus that destroyed the entire potato crop, the potato blight resulted in over one million deaths from starvation and led to a mass migration of Irish to America.

The modern science of plant genetics developed from the work of Gregor Mendel (1822–1884), an Austrian botanist and monk. His breeding experiments with pea plants provided information on the nature of genes and their role in the inheritance of characteristics between generations. He formulated the Mendelian laws of inheritance, which were applied after 1900 to plant breeding.

Research in botany includes developing new and hardier species of crops, controlling plant diseases, discovering new medicines from plants, and studying the effects of human intervention (such as pollution and logging) on plant life. Exploring ways of maintaining an ecological balance that continues to sustain both plant and animal life is an important subject of study as well.

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Harvard university herbaria & libraries, harvard papers in botany.

Harvard Papers in Botany (HPB) is a refereed journal that welcomes longer monographic and floristic accounts of plants and fungi, as well as papers concerning economic botany, systematic botany, molecular phylogenetics, the history of botany, and relevant and significant bibliographies, as well as book reviews. Harvard Papers in Botany is open to all who wish to contribute.

For information on historical journals, see the About page .

Manuscript Submission

To help defray the rising costs of publication and support several online initiatives, manuscripts published in Harvard Papers in Botany are subject to a voluntary page charge of US $50.00 per printed page. More information is available for  download .

Manuscripts, including tables and figures, should be submitted on a CD or DVD, or  via email as attachments.

The text should be in a major word-processing program in a Windows, Mac, or compatible format. Authors should include a completed Submission Checklist with the submission. Authors should include approximate locations of tables and figures. Please note, authors writing monographs should include an Index to Numbered Collections at the end of their papers.

The HPB submission deadline for the June issue is January 1, and for the December issue the deadline is July 1.

For further details about format and layout, see manuscript preparation .

For questions or comments, please contact:

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Plant biotechnology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Plant biotechnology can be defined as the introduction of desirable traits into plants through genetic modification.

Advancing programmable gene expression in plants using CRISPRi-based Boolean gates

To advance the toolset for controlling plant gene expression, we developed a CRISPR interference-based platform for the construction of synthetic Boolean logic gates that is functional in multiple plant species. These genetic circuits are programmable and reversible in nature, which will enable spatiotemporal control of plant responses to dynamic cues.

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The transcriptional regulation of a putative hemicellulose gene, PtrPARVUS2 in poplar

• Heather D. Coleman

An NLR paralog Pit2 generated from tandem duplication of Pit1 fine-tunes Pit1 localization and function

The paralogous NLR proteins, Pit1 and Pit2, exhibit distinct functions in rice immunity, where Pit1 induces cell death on the plasma membrane and Pit2 inhibits this function by sequestering Pit1 to the cytosol.

• Yoji Kawano

ABA-mediated regulation of rice grain quality and seed dormancy via the NF-YB1-SLRL2-bHLH144 Module

This study revealed an NF-YB1-SLRL2-bHLH144 regulatory module, centered on a key transcription factor SLRL2, that mediates the ABA-regulated amylose content in rice. Furthermore, SLRL2 is also involved in the regulation of rice dormancy

• Jin-Dong Wang
• Qian-Feng Li

CRISPRi-based circuits to control gene expression in plants

Programmable and reversible CRISPRi-based genetic circuits function in a variety of plants.

• Muhammad Adil Khan
• Gabrielle Herring
• Ryan Lister

Genome-wide association analysis uncovers rice blast resistance alleles of Ptr and Pia

A GWAS on 500 genetically diverse rice accessions enables identification of an allelic series for the unusual Ptr rice blast resistance gene, and the Pia resistance locus.

• Julian R. Greenwood
• Vanica Lacorte-Apostol
• Simon G. Krattinger

RNA-Seq transcriptome profiling of immature grain wheat is a technique for understanding comparative modeling of baking quality

• Hossein Ahmadi-Ochtapeh
• Hassan Soltanloo
• Vahid Shariati

News and Comment

Engineering good viruses to improve crop performance

Viruses can be engineered to deliver nucleic acids, peptides and proteins for plant trait reprogramming. Building on market approvals and sales of recombinant virus-based biopharmaceuticals for veterinary and human medicine, similar innovations may be applied to agriculture for transient or heritable biodesign of crops with improved performance and sustainable production.

• Fabio Pasin
• Mireia Uranga
• Choon-Tak Kwon

Haploids fast-track hybrid plant breeding

Two studies report the use of paternal haploids to enable one-step transfer of cytoplasmic male sterility in maize and broccoli, which resolves a key technical bottleneck in hybrid crop breeding.

• Ravi Maruthachalam

Feeding the future global population

Climate change is exacerbating challenges both for global food production and from its environmental impacts. Sustainable and socially responsible solutions for future world-wide food security are urgently needed.

Novel gene for herbicide resistance

Blueprint for non-transgenic edited plants

A robust strategy to obtain edited crops without integration of a transgene is developed based on co-editing the ALS gene and a gene of interest.

• Jean-Luc Gallois
• Fabien Nogué

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Volume 75, Issue 10, 20 May 2024

Extra botany, how to switch on a master switch.

This article comments on:

Hu Y, Lin Y, Bai J, Xu X, Wang Z, Ding C, Ding Y, Chen L. 2024. AMPK activator 991 specifically activates SnRK1 and thereby affects seed germination in rice. Journal of Experimental Botany 75, 2917–2932.

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Hidden promiscuity elucidates the enigmatic relationship between duckweed accessions

Braglia L, Ceschin S, Iannelli MA, Bog M, Fabriani M, Frugis G, Gavazzi F, Gianì S, Mariani F, Muzzi M, Pelella E, Morello L. 2024. Characterization of the cryptic interspecific hybrid Lemna×mediterranea by an integrated approach provides new insights into duckweed diversity. Journal of Experimental Botany 75, 3092–3110.

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My favourite flowering image: the remarkable inside-out flowers of lacandonia, review papers, gene regulatory networks underlying sulfate deficiency responses in plants.

Recent advances in determining gene regulatory networks and gene expression responses to sulfate deficiency are highlighted, with an emphasis on omics-based discoveries in Arabidopsis and in two important crop species, rice and tomato.

• Supplementary data

Optimizing nutrient transporters to enhance disease resistance in rice

This review examines the interconnected regulation between nutrient homeostasis and immune responses, and highlights strategies to enhance disease resistance in rice by optimal manipulation of nutrient transporters.

EXPERT VIEW

The circadian clock and thermal regulation in plants: novel insights into the role of positive circadian clock regulators in temperature responses.

We summarize the most recent findings regarding the role of the RVE and LNK gene families, which encode transcriptional (co-)activators of the circadian clock network, in plant temperature responses.

TECHNICAL INNOVATION

The dynamic assimilation technique measures photosynthetic co 2 response curves with similar fidelity to steady-state approaches in half the time.

Estimations of biochemical limitations to photosynthesis measured using different CO 2 protocols were consistent, with slight differences in Rubisco carboxylation limitation. The non-steady-state protocol completed A / C i measurements twice as fast without compromising estimation fidelity.

RESEARCH PAPERS

Cell biology, four-dimensional quantitative analysis of cell plate development in arabidopsis using lattice light sheet microscopy identifies robust transition points between growth phases.

Employing lattice light sheet 4D microscopy, we dissected plant cytokinesis, a multistage process involving orchestrated delivery of membranes and polysaccharides. Quantitative analysis revealed phase shifts, that disappeared through inhibition of callose deposition.

Evidence for dual targeting control of Arabidopsis 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase isoforms by N-terminal phosphorylation

The subcellular localization of the Arabidopsis PGD2 isoform reveals that specific amino acid changes affect targeting to peroxisomes where the enzyme is crucial for fertilization.

Crop Molecular Genetics

The zmnf-yc1–zmaprg pathway modulates low phosphorus tolerance in maize.

The ZmNF-YC1–ZmAPRG pathway modulates low P tolerance by regulating lipid composition and photosynthetic capacity in maize.

A new chromosome-scale genome of wild Brassica oleracea provides insights into the domestication of Brassica crops

A new chromosome-level assembly of the wild Brassica oleracea W03 genome provides insights into the speciation of Brassica crops and identifies WUSCHEL as a key gene in domestication.

Growth and Development

Homeobox2, the paralog of six-rowed spike1/homeobox1, is dispensable for barley spikelet development.

In barley, the transcription factor HvHOX1 (also known as VRS1) regulates lateral spikelet fertility through the suppression of reproductive organs, but its paralog, HvHOX2, is dispensable for spikelet development.

AMPK activator 991 specifically activates SnRK1 and thereby affects seed germination in rice

Compound 991 is a specific SnRK1 activator, and SnRK1 regulates rice germination in a dose-dependent manner.

bHLH121 and clade IVc bHLH transcription factors synergistically function to regulate iron homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana

The master regulator basic helix–loop–helix 121 (bHLH121) acts synergistically with clade IVc bHLH transcription factors to regulate iron homeostasis in Arabidopsis.

Root topological order drives variation of fine root vessel traits and hydraulic strategies in tropical trees

Tropical trees of China showed large variations for most root anatomical traits across topological orders, and strong co-variations between vessel traits, providing new insights into water transport strategy in fine roots.

The transcription factor RhMYB17 regulates the homeotic transformation of floral organs in rose ( Rosa hybrida ) under cold stress

Under cold stress, the transformation from stamens to petals in the rose flower is mediated by the transcription factor RhMYB17, which activates expression of APETALA 2 and APETALA 2-LIKE .

Photosynthesis and Metabolism

Combined leaf gas-exchange system for model assessment.

A new instrument to measure leaf gas exchange was developed that integrates direct measurement of leaf intercellular CO 2 concentration with the standard open-flow system and a novel open-diffusion system.

Short-term salt stress reduces photosynthetic oscillations under triose phosphate utilization limitation in tomato

Short-term salt stress decreased the settling time of light-triggered photosynthetic oscillations that occur when reaching triose phosphate limitation, and increased the threshold for [CO 2 ] at which oscillations were observed.

Plant—Environment Interactions

Persulfidation of plant and bacteroid proteins is involved in legume nodule development and senescence.

Hydrogen sulfide and persulfidation are important in redox signaling during bean root nodule development and senescence.

The cysteine-rich receptor-like kinase CRK10 targeted by Coniella diplodiella effector CdE1 contributes to white rot resistance in grapevine

The fungus Coniella diplodiella , a causal agent of grapevine white rot, secretes an effector protein to suppress grapevine immunity through manipulating the resistance protein cysteine-rich receptor-like kinase 10.

H3K27 demethylase SsJMJ4 negatively regulates drought-stress responses in sugarcane

SsJMJ4, a novel sugarcane H3K27me3 demethylase, plays an important role in dynamic trade-off between growth and drought-stress responses by anti-silencing negative regulators of drought stress.

The ‘ Candidatus Phytoplasma ziziphi’ effectors SJP1/2 negatively control leaf size by stabilizing the transcription factor ZjTCP2 in jujube

The effectors SJP1 and SJP2 from jujube witches’ broom, a phytoplasma phloem parasite, produce small leaves in the fruit tree jujube, by interacting with and stabilizing the transcription factor ZjTCP2.

Oligogalacturonide application increases resistance to Fusarium head blight in durum wheat

The application of oligogalacturonides directly enhanced the resistance of durum wheat plants to the phytopathogen Fusarium graminearum , highlighting a potential promising strategy in sustainable crop protection.

Characterization of the cryptic interspecific hybrid Lemna×mediterranea by an integrated approach provides new insights into duckweed diversity

Thorough investigation of the interspecific hybrid Lemna ×mediterranea reveals recurrent hybridization in Lemna minor and the existence of homoploid and triploid cytotypes, with differences in phenotypical and ecophysiological traits.

Seed traits and recruitment interact with habitats to generate patterns of local adaptation in a perennial grass

This study examines the role of seed traits in establishment across habitats, filling gaps in understanding seed availability’s interaction with microsites, crucial for plant recruitment and population dynamics.

Hyperspectral imaging reveals small-scale water gradients in apple leaves due to minimal cuticle perforation by Venturia inaequalis conidiophores

Hyperspectral imaging of water relations and microscopy demonstrate only localized damage of the cuticle of scab-infected apple leaves, but sustained redirection of water flow towards the pathogen.

Twenty years of irrigation acclimation is driven by denser canopies and not by plasticity in twig- and needle-level hydraulics in a Pinus sylvestris forest

Scots pine may be vulnerable to extreme droughts because of the limited ability of its hydraulic system to adjust to long-term changes in soil moisture.

Root endophyte-mediated alteration in plant H 2 O 2 homeostasis regulates symbiosis outcome and reshapes the rhizosphere microbiota

A fungal endophyte affects symbiotic outcomes of Arabidopsis by regulating H 2 O 2 fluxes and levels at the plant–fungal interface and reshapes rhizosphere microbiota by enriching bacteria with oxidative stress tolerance.

The transcription factor ThDOF8 binds to a novel cis -element and mediates molecular responses to salt stress in Tamarix hispida

The transcription factor ThDOF8 binds to the cis -element TGCG to regulate various target genes, including the cysteine-rich receptor-like kinase CRK10 , to positively regulate responses to salt stress in the halophyte Tamarix hispida .

Excessive iron deposition in root apoplast is involved in growth arrest of roots in response to low pH

Low pH induces rhizotoxicity in plant roots by promoting abnormal apoplastic iron deposition, initiating an iron redox cycle and resulting in a surge of highly reactive oxygen species.

Correction to: Ascorbate peroxidase in fruits and modulation of its activity by reactive species

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Articles on Botany

Displaying 1 - 20 of 95 articles.

Why do some trees lose their leaves and others don’t? The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast

Eloise Stevens , The Conversation

Digging into the colonial roots of gardening

Vinita Srivastava , The Conversation and Ateqah Khaki , The Conversation

Curious Kids: why do trees have bark?

Gregory Moore , The University of Melbourne

Cranberries can bounce, float and pollinate themselves: The saucy science of a Thanksgiving classic

Serina DeSalvio , Texas A&M University

Take a break from your screen and look at plants − botanizing is a great way to engage with life around you

Jacob S. Suissa , University of Tennessee and Ben Goulet-Scott , Harvard University

French botanist Théodore Leschenault travelled to Australia in 1800-1803 . His recently recovered journal contains a wealth of intriguing information

Paul Gibbard , The University of Western Australia

Why does grass grow more slowly in winter?

Colonialism has shaped scientific plant collections around the world – here’s why that matters

Daniel Park , Purdue University

The world’s first flowers were pollinated by insects

Ruby E. Stephens , Macquarie University ; Hervé Sauquet , UNSW Sydney ; Lily Dun , UNSW Sydney ; Rachael Gallagher , Western Sydney University , and Will Cornwell , UNSW Sydney

Native raspberries, limes and geraniums: how did these curious plants end up in Australia?

Decolonize your garden: This long weekend, dig into the complicated roots of gardening — Listen

Learn to think like a plant: five questions to think about if you want to keep your houseplants healthy

Chris Thorogood , University of Oxford

I’ve created a monstera! How to care for the ‘Swiss cheese plant’ in your life

Climate change threatens spring wildflowers by speeding up the time when trees leaf out above them

Richard B. Primack , Boston University ; Benjamin R. Lee , University of Pittsburgh , and Tara K. Miller , University of Virginia

Once the Callery pear tree was landscapers’ favorite – now states are banning this invasive species and urging homeowners to cut it down

Ryan W. McEwan , University of Dayton

Some houseplants take in nutrients from roots outside the soil – and it may change how we care for them

Amanda Rasmussen , University of Nottingham

A new discovery shows major flowering plants are 150 million years older than previously thought

Byron Lamont , Curtin University

I spent a year squeezing leaves to measure their water content. Here’s what I learned

Tomás I. Fuenzalida , Australian National University

Botanists are disappearing – just when the world needs them most

Sebastian Stroud , University of Leeds

How to grow plants on the moon – new study

Monica Grady , The Open University

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Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne

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Research Associate Professor in Evolutionary Biology, The University of Western Australia

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Associate Professor in Ecology and Evolution, UNSW Sydney

Research botanist at the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium of South Australia/Environment Institute, University of Adelaide

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Botanical and Plant Biology Research Guide: Article Research

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Article Research at MSUL

Articles contain the most current information published in a field of study.

Most professors and researchers prefer articles that are "scholarly" in nature.  Characteristics of scholarly journals are that they have the following qualities:

• The articles contain original research (such as scientific experiments, surveys and research studies)
• A list of references or sources is provided at the end of each article
• An editorial board, composed of experts in the field, reviews articles to decide whether they should be accepted; this is also known as "refereed," "peer-reviewed," "professional," or "academic".
• Uses a specialized vocabulary for that field.
• Contain few if any advertisements. If included, they are highly specialized and specific to scholarly discipline (i.e. specific laboratory equipment, medical tools and drugs).
• If you are uncertain about the scholarly nature of a journal, you all look up the title or ISSN in the periodical database Ulrichs Periodical Directory (UlrichsWeb) .  This database will tell you about the journal including the nature, it's audience, and in which databases it is indexed and abstracted.

The Library Catalog contains the TITLES to all of the print and electronic format journals to which we have access .  The Catalog does not list the articles within the journals. The individual articles can be found in the many article databases to which we subscribe.

Citation searching:

If you have a citation to an article, the easiest way to locate the article is to look up the title of the journal in the catalog .  Identify whether we own the journal and the format, print or electronic.  If in electronic format, do we have that year/volume? If yes, you can click on the link provided to go directly to the online articles and find the one you need.  If it is not online, do we have it in print?  If so, identify the call number and go to the stacks to find the proper volume and issue.  If we do not own the journal or issue, you can request the article through Interlibrary Services .

Article databases - 2nd choices

• Tree Species Range Maps from "Atlas of United States Trees" Maps of the ranges of tree species in North America compiled by Elbert Little, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, and others (see references below) were digitized for use in USGS' vegetation-climate modeling studies. These digital map files are available as maps in PDF format and also as shapefiles for download.

Plant Sciences Librarian

Herbaria Specimens

JSTOR Global Plants JSTOR Global Plants (formerly JSTOR Plant Science) offers access to botanical and other resources from around the world including: •The world’s largest database of plant type specimens representing the botanical diversity of the planet. More than 600,000 specimens are available today. When complete, there will be an estimated 2.2 million. •Over 175,000 scientific research articles and other content dating back hundreds of years from leading academic journals including Kew Bulletin, Mycologia, International Journal of Plant Sciences, Science, PNAS, and others. •Foundational reference works and books such as The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, Flowering Plants of South Africa, and illustrations from Curtis's Botanical Magazine. •A significant set of correspondence, including Kew’s Directors' Correspondence which included hand-written letters and memorandum from the senior staff of Kew from 1841 to 1928. •More than 20,000 paintings, photographs, drawings, and other images.

Print indexes

• Index to American botanical literature, 1886-1966. by Torrey Botanical Club. Call Number: Z5351 .T6 v.1-4 Publication Date: 1969 A reproduction of an index published serially since 1886 in the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club.
• Plant science catalog; botany subject index by National Agricultural Library Call Number: Z5351 .U5 v.1-15 Publication Date: 1958 15 volumes. Title on spine: Botany subject index.
• Bibliography of agriculture. Section D, Plant science.
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Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Meta-Research Article

Meta-Research Articles feature data-driven examinations of the methods, reporting, verification, and evaluation of scientific research.

See Journal Information »

Assessing the evolution of research topics in a biological field using plant science as an example

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

* E-mail: [email protected]

Affiliations Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America, Department of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America, DOE-Great Lake Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America

Roles Conceptualization, Investigation, Project administration, Supervision, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America

• Shin-Han Shiu, 
• Melissa D. Lehti-Shiu

• Published: May 23, 2024
• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612
• Peer Review
• Reader Comments

Scientific advances due to conceptual or technological innovations can be revealed by examining how research topics have evolved. But such topical evolution is difficult to uncover and quantify because of the large body of literature and the need for expert knowledge in a wide range of areas in a field. Using plant biology as an example, we used machine learning and language models to classify plant science citations into topics representing interconnected, evolving subfields. The changes in prevalence of topical records over the last 50 years reflect shifts in major research trends and recent radiation of new topics, as well as turnover of model species and vastly different plant science research trajectories among countries. Our approaches readily summarize the topical diversity and evolution of a scientific field with hundreds of thousands of relevant papers, and they can be applied broadly to other fields.

Citation: Shiu S-H, Lehti-Shiu MD (2024) Assessing the evolution of research topics in a biological field using plant science as an example. PLoS Biol 22(5): e3002612. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612

Academic Editor: Ulrich Dirnagl, Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin, GERMANY

Received: October 16, 2023; Accepted: April 4, 2024; Published: May 23, 2024

Copyright: © 2024 Shiu, Lehti-Shiu. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Data Availability: The plant science corpus data are available through Zenodo ( https://zenodo.org/records/10022686 ). The codes for the entire project are available through GitHub ( https://github.com/ShiuLab/plant_sci_hist ) and Zenodo ( https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10894387 ).

Funding: This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (IOS-2107215 and MCB-2210431 to MDL and SHS; DGE-1828149 and IOS-2218206 to SHS), Department of Energy grant Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (DE-SC0018409 to SHS). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Abbreviations: BERT, Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers; br, brassinosteroid; ccTLD, country code Top Level Domain; c-Tf-Idf, class-based Tf-Idf; ChatGPT, Chat Generative Pretrained Transformer; ga, gibberellic acid; LOWESS, locally weighted scatterplot smoothing; MeSH, Medical Subject Heading; SHAP, SHapley Additive exPlanations; SJR, SCImago Journal Rank; Tf-Idf, Term frequency-Inverse document frequency; UMAP, Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection

Introduction

The explosive growth of scientific data in recent years has been accompanied by a rapidly increasing volume of literature. These records represent a major component of our scientific knowledge and embody the history of conceptual and technological advances in various fields over time. Our ability to wade through these records is important for identifying relevant literature for specific topics, a crucial practice of any scientific pursuit [ 1 ]. Classifying the large body of literature into topics can provide a useful means to identify relevant literature. In addition, these topics offer an opportunity to assess how scientific fields have evolved and when major shifts in took place. However, such classification is challenging because the relevant articles in any topic or domain can number in the tens or hundreds of thousands, and the literature is in the form of natural language, which takes substantial effort and expertise to process [ 2 , 3 ]. In addition, even if one could digest all literature in a field, it would still be difficult to quantify such knowledge.

In the last several years, there has been a quantum leap in natural language processing approaches due to the feasibility of building complex deep learning models with highly flexible architectures [ 4 , 5 ]. The development of large language models such as Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT; [ 6 ]) and Chat Generative Pretrained Transformer (ChatGPT; [ 7 ]) has enabled the analysis, generation, and modeling of natural language texts in a wide range of applications. The success of these applications is, in large part, due to the feasibility of considering how the same words are used in different contexts when modeling natural language [ 6 ]. One such application is topic modeling, the practice of establishing statistical models of semantic structures underlying a document collection. Topic modeling has been proposed for identifying scientific hot topics over time [ 1 ], for example, in synthetic biology [ 8 ], and it has also been applied to, for example, automatically identify topical scenes in images [ 9 ] and social network topics [ 10 ], discover gene programs highly correlated with cancer prognosis [ 11 ], capture “chromatin topics” that define cell-type differences [ 12 ], and investigate relationships between genetic variants and disease risk [ 13 ]. Here, we use topic modeling to ask how research topics in a scientific field have evolved and what major changes in the research trends have taken place, using plant science as an example.

Plant science corpora allow classification of major research topics

Plant science, broadly defined, is the study of photosynthetic species, their interactions with biotic/abiotic environments, and their applications. For modeling plant science topical evolution, we first identified a collection of plant science documents (i.e., corpus) using a text classification approach. To this end, we first collected over 30 million PubMed records and narrowed down candidate plant science records by searching for those with plant-related terms and taxon names (see Materials and methods ). Because there remained a substantial number of false positives (i.e., biomedical records mentioning plants in passing), a set of positive plant science examples from the 17 plant science journals with the highest numbers of plant science publications covering a wide range of subfields and a set of negative examples from journals with few candidate plant science records were used to train 4 types of text classification models (see Materials and methods ). The best text classification model performed well (F1 = 0.96, F1 of a naïve model = 0.5, perfect model = 1) where the positive and negative examples were clearly separated from each other based on prediction probability of the hold-out testing dataset (false negative rate = 2.6%, false positive rate = 5.2%, S1A and S1B Fig ). The false prediction rate for documents from the 17 plant science journals annotated with the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) term “Plants” in NCBI was 11.7% (see Materials and methods ). The prediction probability distribution of positive instances with the MeSH term has an expected left-skew to lower values ( S1C Fig ) compared with the distributions of all positive instances ( S1A Fig ). Thus, this subset with the MeSH term is a skewed representation of articles from these 17 major plant science journals. To further benchmark the validity of the plant science records, we also conducted manual annotation of 100 records where the false positive and false negative rates were 14.6% and 10.6%, respectively (see Materials and methods ). Using 12 other plant science journals not included as positive examples as benchmarks, the false negative rate was 9.9% (see Materials and methods ). Considering the range of false prediction rate estimates with different benchmarks, we should emphasize that the model built with the top 17 plant science journals represents a substantial fraction of plant science publications but with biases. Applying the model to the candidate plant science record led to 421,658 positive predictions, hereafter referred to as “plant science records” ( S1D Fig and S1 Data ).

To better understand how the models classified plant science articles, we identified important terms from a more easily interpretable model (Term frequency-Inverse document frequency (Tf-Idf) model; F1 = 0.934) using Shapley Additive Explanations [ 14 ]; 136 terms contributed to predicting plant science records (e.g., Arabidopsis, xylem, seedling) and 138 terms contributed to non-plant science record predictions (e.g., patients, clinical, mice; Tf-Idf feature sheet, S1 Data ). Plant science records as well as PubMed articles grew exponentially from 1950 to 2020 ( Fig 1A ), highlighting the challenges of digesting the rapidly expanding literature. We used the plant science records to perform topic modeling, which consisted of 4 steps: representing each record as a BERT embedding, reducing dimensionality, clustering, and identifying the top terms by calculating class (i.e., topic)-based Tf-Idf (c-Tf-Idf; [ 15 ]). The c-Tf-Idf represents the frequency of a term in the context of how rare the term is to reduce the influence of common words. SciBERT [ 16 ] was the best model among those tested ( S2 Data ) and was used for building the final topic model, which classified 372,430 (88.3%) records into 90 topics defined by distinct combinations of terms ( S3 Data ). The topics contained 620 to 16,183 records and were named after the top 4 to 5 terms defining the topical areas ( Fig 1B and S3 Data ). For example, the top 5 terms representing the largest topic, topic 61 (16,183 records), are “qtl,” “resistance,” “wheat,” “markers,” and “traits,” which represent crop improvement studies using quantitative genetics.

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(A) Numbers of PubMed (magenta) and plant science (green) records between 1950 and 2020. (a, b, c) Coefficients of the exponential function, y = ae b . Data for the plot are in S1 Data . (B) Numbers of documents for the top 30 plant science topics. Each topic is designated by an index number (left) and the top 4–6 terms with the highest cTf-Idf values (right). Data for the plot are in S3 Data . (C) Two-dimensional representation of the relationships between plant science records generated by Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP, [ 17 ]) using SciBERT embeddings of plant science records. All topics panel: Different topics are assigned different colors. Outlier panel: UMAP representation of all records (gray) with outlier records in red. Blue dotted circles: areas with relatively high densities indicating topics that are below the threshold for inclusion in a topic. In the 8 UMAP representations on the right, records for example topics are in red and the remaining records in gray. Blue dotted circles indicate the relative position of topic 48.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.g001

Records with assigned topics clustered into distinct areas in a two-dimensional (2D) space ( Fig 1C , for all topics, see S4 Data ). The remaining 49,228 outlier records not assigned to any topic (11.7%, middle panel, Fig 1C ) have 3 potential sources. First, some outliers likely belong to unique topics but have fewer records than the threshold (>500, blue dotted circles, Fig 1C ). Second, some of the many outliers dispersed within the 2D space ( Fig 1C ) were not assigned to any single topic because they had relatively high prediction scores for multiple topics ( S2 Fig ). These likely represent studies across subdisciplines in plant science. Third, some outliers are likely interdisciplinary studies between plant science and other domains, such as chemistry, mathematics, and physics. Such connections can only be revealed if records from other domains are included in the analyses.

Topical clusters reveal closely related topics but with distinct key term usage

Related topics tend to be located close together in the 2D representation (e.g., topics 48 and 49, Fig 1C ). We further assessed intertopical relationships by determining the cosine similarities between topics using cTf-Idfs ( Figs 2A and S3 ). In this topic network, some topics are closely related and form topic clusters. For example, topics 25, 26, and 27 collectively represent a more general topic related to the field of plant development (cluster a , lower left in Fig 2A ). Other topic clusters represent studies of stress, ion transport, and heavy metals ( b ); photosynthesis, water, and UV-B ( c ); population and community biology (d); genomics, genetic mapping, and phylogenetics ( e , upper right); and enzyme biochemistry ( f , upper left in Fig 2A ).

(A) Graph depicting the degrees of similarity (edges) between topics (nodes). Between each topic pair, a cosine similarity value was calculated using the cTf-Idf values of all terms. A threshold similarity of 0.6 was applied to illustrate the most related topics. For the full matrix presented as a heatmap, see S4 Fig . The nodes are labeled with topic index numbers and the top 4–6 terms. The colors and width of the edges are defined based on cosine similarity. Example topic clusters are highlighted in yellow and labeled a through f (blue boxes). (B, C) Relationships between the cTf-Idf values (see S3 Data ) of the top terms for topics 26 and 27 (B) and for topics 25 and 27 (C) . Only terms with cTf-Idf ≥ 0.6 are labeled. Terms with cTf-Idf values beyond the x and y axis limit are indicated by pink arrows and cTf-Idf values. (D) The 2D representation in Fig 1C is partitioned into graphs for different years, and example plots for every 5-year period since 1975 are shown. Example topics discussed in the text are indicated. Blue arrows connect the areas occupied by records of example topics across time periods to indicate changes in document frequencies.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.g002

Topics differed in how well they were connected to each other, reflecting how general the research interests or needs are (see Materials and methods ). For example, topic 24 (stress mechanisms) is the most well connected with median cosine similarity = 0.36, potentially because researchers in many subfields consider aspects of plant stress even though it is not the focus. The least connected topics include topic 21 (clock biology, 0.12), which is surprising because of the importance of clocks in essentially all aspects of plant biology [ 18 ]. This may be attributed, in part, to the relatively recent attention in this area.

Examining topical relationships and the cTf-Idf values of terms also revealed how related topics differ. For example, topic 26 is closely related to topics 27 and 25 (cluster a on the lower left of Fig 2A ). Topics 26 and 27 both contain records of developmental process studies mainly in Arabidopsis ( Fig 2B ); however, topic 26 is focused on the impact of light, photoreceptors, and hormones such as gibberellic acids (ga) and brassinosteroids (br), whereas topic 27 is focused on flowering and floral development. Topic 25 is also focused on plant development but differs from topic 27 because it contains records of studies mainly focusing on signaling and auxin with less emphasis on Arabidopsis ( Fig 2C ). These examples also highlight the importance of using multiple top terms to represent the topics. The similarities in cTf-Idfs between topics were also useful for measuring the editorial scope (i.e., diverse, or narrow) of journals publishing plant science papers using a relative topic diversity measure (see Materials and methods ). For example, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , USA has the highest diversity, while Theoretical and Applied Genetics has the lowest ( S4 Fig ). One surprise is the relatively low diversity of American Journal of Botany , which focuses on plant ecology, systematics, development, and genetics. The low diversity is likely due to the relatively larger number of cellular and molecular science records in PubMed, consistent with the identification of relatively few topical areas relevant to studies at the organismal, population, community, and ecosystem levels.

Investigation of the relative prevalence of topics over time reveals topical succession

We next asked whether relationships between topics reflect chronological progression of certain subfields. To address this, we assessed how prevalent topics were over time using dynamic topic modeling [ 19 ]. As shown in Fig 2D , there is substantial fluctuation in where the records are in the 2D space over time. For example, topic 44 (light, leaves, co, synthesis, photosynthesis) is among the topics that existed in 1975 but has diminished gradually since. In 1985, topic 39 (Agrobacterium-based transformation) became dense enough to be visualized. Additional examples include topics 79 (soil heavy metals), 42 (differential expression), and 82 (bacterial community metagenomics), which became prominent in approximately 2005, 2010, and 2020, respectively ( Fig 2D ). In addition, animating the document occupancy in the 2D space over time revealed a broad change in patterns over time: Some initially dense areas became sparse over time and a large number of topics in areas previously only loosely occupied at the turn of the century increased over time ( S5 Data ).

While the 2D representations reveal substantial details on the evolution of topics, comparison over time is challenging because the number of plant science records has grown exponentially ( Fig 1A ). To address this, the records were divided into 50 chronological bins each with approximately 8,400 records to make cross-bin comparisons feasible ( S6 Data ). We should emphasize that, because of the way the chronological bins were split, the number of records for each topic in each bin should be treated as a normalized value relative to all other topics during the same period. Examining this relative prevalence of topics across bins revealed a clear pattern of topic succession over time (one topic evolved into another) and the presence of 5 topical categories ( Fig 3 ). The topics were categorized based on their locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOWESS) fits and ordered according to timing of peak frequency ( S7 and S8 Data , see Materials and methods ). In Fig 3 , the relative decrease in document frequency does not mean that research output in a topic is dwindling. Because each row in the heatmap is normalized based on the minimum and maximum values within each topic, there still can be substantial research output in terms of numbers of publications even when the relative frequency is near zero. Thus, a reduced relative frequency of a topic reflects only a below-average growth rate compared with other topical areas.

(A-E) A heat map of relative topic frequency over time reveals 5 topical categories: (A) stable, (B) early, (C) transitional, (D) sigmoidal, and (E) rising. The x axis denotes different time bins with each bin containing a similar number of documents to account for the exponential growth of plant science records over time. The sizes of all bins except the first are drawn to scale based on the beginning and end dates. The y axis lists different topics denoted by the label and top 4 to 5 terms. In each cell, the prevalence of a topic in a time bin is colored according to the min-max normalized cTf-Idf values for that topic. Light blue dotted lines delineate different decades. The arrows left of a subset of topic labels indicate example relationships between topics in topic clusters. Blue boxes with labels a–f indicate topic clusters, which are the same as those in Fig 2 . Connecting lines indicate successional trends. Yellow circles/lines 1 – 3: 3 major transition patterns. The original data are in S5 Data .

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.g003

The first topical category is a stable category with 7 topics mostly established before the 1980s that have since remained stable in terms of prevalence in the plant science records (top of Fig 3A ). These topics represent long-standing plant science research foci, including studies of plant physiology (topics 4, 58, and 81), genetics (topic 61), and medicinal plants (topic 53). The second category contains 8 topics established before the 1980s that have mostly decreased in prevalence since (the early category, Fig 3B ). Two examples are physiological and morphological studies of hormone action (topic 45, the second in the early category) and the characterization of protein, DNA, and RNA (topic 18, the second to last). Unlike other early topics, topic 78 (paleobotany and plant evolution studies, the last topic in Fig 3B ) experienced a resurgence in the early 2000s due to the development of new approaches and databases and changes in research foci [ 20 ].

The 33 topics in the third, transitional category became prominent in the 1980s, 1990s, or even 2000s but have clearly decreased in prevalence ( Fig 3C ). In some cases, the early and the transitional topics became less prevalent because of topical succession—refocusing of earlier topics led to newer ones that either show no clear sign of decrease (the sigmoidal category, Fig 3D ) or continue to increase in prevalence (the rising category, Fig 3E ). Consistent with the notion of topical succession, topics within each topic cluster ( Fig 2 ) were found across topic categories and/or were prominent at different time periods (indicated by colored lines linking topics, Fig 3 ). One example is topics in topic cluster b (connected with light green lines and arrows, compare Figs 2 and 3 ); the study of cation transport (topic 47, the third in the transitional category), prominent in the 1980s and early 1990s, is connected to 5 other topics, namely, another transitional topic 29 (cation channels and their expression) peaking in the 2000s and early 2010s, sigmoidal topics 24 and 28 (stress response, tolerance mechanisms) and 30 (heavy metal transport), which rose to prominence in mid-2000s, and the rising topic 42 (stress transcriptomic studies), which increased in prevalence in the mid-2010s.

The rise and fall of topics can be due to a combination of technological or conceptual breakthroughs, maturity of the field, funding constraints, or publicity. The study of transposable elements (topic 62) illustrates the effect of publicity; the rise in this field coincided with Barbara McClintock’s 1983 Nobel Prize but not with the publication of her studies in the 1950s [ 21 ]. The reduced prevalence in early 2000 likely occurred in part because analysis of transposons became a central component of genome sequencing and annotation studies, rather than dedicated studies. In addition, this example indicates that our approaches, while capable of capturing topical trends, cannot be used to directly infer major papers leading to the growth of a topic.

Three major topical transition patterns signify shifts in research trends

Beyond the succession of specific topics, 3 major transitions in the dynamic topic graph should be emphasized: (1) the relative decreasing trend of early topics in the late 1970s and early 1980s; (2) the rise of transitional topics in late 1980s; and (3) the relative decreasing trend of transitional topics in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which coincided with a radiation of sigmoidal and rising topics (yellow circles, Fig 3 ). The large numbers of topics involved in these transitions suggest major shifts in plant science research. In transition 1, early topics decreased in relative prevalence in the late 1970s to early 1980s, which coincided with the rise of transitional topics over the following decades (circle 1, Fig 3 ). For example, there was a shift from the study of purified proteins such as enzymes (early topic 48, S5A Fig ) to molecular genetic dissection of genes, proteins, and RNA (transitional topic 35, S5B Fig ) enabled by the wider adoption of recombinant DNA and molecular cloning technologies in late 1970s [ 22 ]. Transition 2 (circle 2, Fig 3 ) can be explained by the following breakthroughs in the late 1980s: better approaches to create transgenic plants and insertional mutants [ 23 ], more efficient creation of mutant plant libraries through chemical mutagenesis (e.g., [ 24 ]), and availability of gene reporter systems such as β-glucuronidase [ 25 ]. Because of these breakthroughs, molecular genetics studies shifted away from understanding the basic machinery to understanding the molecular underpinnings of specific processes, such as molecular mechanisms of flower and meristem development and the action of hormones such as auxin (topic 27, S5C Fig ); this type of research was discussed as a future trend in 1988 [ 26 ] and remains prevalent to this date. Another example is gene silencing (topic 12), which became a focal area of study along with the widespread use of transgenic plants [ 27 ].

Transition 3 is the most drastic: A large number of transitional, sigmoidal, and rising topics became prevalent nearly simultaneously at the turn of the century (circle 3, Fig 3 ). This period also coincides with a rapid increase in plant science citations ( Fig 1A ). The most notable breakthroughs included the availability of the first plant genome in 2000 [ 28 ], increasing ease and reduced cost of high-throughput sequencing [ 29 ], development of new mass spectrometry–based platforms for analyzing proteins [ 30 ], and advancements in microscopic and optical imaging approaches [ 31 ]. Advances in genomics and omics technology also led to an increase in stress transcriptomics studies (42, S5D Fig ) as well as studies in many other topics such as epigenetics (topic 11), noncoding RNA analysis (13), genomics and phylogenetics (80), breeding (41), genome sequencing and assembly (60), gene family analysis (23), and metagenomics (82 and 55).

In addition to the 3 major transitions across all topics, there were also transitions within topics revealed by examining the top terms for different time bins (heatmaps, S5 Fig ). Taken together, these observations demonstrate that knowledge about topical evolution can be readily revealed through topic modeling. Such knowledge is typically only available to experts in specific areas and is difficult to summarize manually, as no researcher has a command of the entire plant science literature.

Analysis of taxa studied reveals changes in research trends

Changes in research trends can also be illustrated by examining changes in the taxa being studied over time ( S9 Data ). There is a strong bias in the taxa studied, with the record dominated by research models and economically important taxa ( S6 Fig ). Flowering plants (Magnoliopsida) are found in 93% of records ( S6A Fig ), and the mustard family Brassicaceae dominates at the family level ( S6B Fig ) because the genus Arabidopsis contributes to 13% of plant science records ( Fig 4A ). When examining the prevalence of taxa being studied over time, clear patterns of turnover emerged similar to topical succession ( Figs 4B , S6C, and S6D ; Materials and methods ). Given that Arabidopsis is mentioned in more publications than other species we analyzed, we further examined the trends for Arabidopsis publications. The increase in the normalized number (i.e., relative to the entire plant science corpus) of Arabidopsis records coincided with advocacy of its use as a model system in the late 1980s [ 32 ]. While it remains a major plant model, there has been a decrease in overall Arabidopsis publications relative to all other plant science publications since 2011 (blue line, normalized total, Fig 4C ). Because the same chronological bins, each with same numbers of records, from the topic-over-time analysis ( Fig 3 ) were used, the decrease here does not mean that there were fewer Arabidopsis publications—in fact, the number of Arabidopsis papers has remained steady since 2011. This decrease means that Arabidopsis-related publications represent a relatively smaller proportion of plant science records. Interestingly, this decrease took place much earlier (approximately 2005) and was steeper in the United States (red line, Fig 4C ) than in all countries combined (blue line, Fig 4C ).

(A) Percentage of records mentioning specific genera. (B) Change in the prevalence of genera in plant science records over time. (C) Changes in the normalized numbers of all records (blue) and records from the US (red) mentioning Arabidopsis over time. The lines are LOWESS fits with fraction parameter = 0.2. (D) Topical over (red) and under (blue) representation among 5 genera with the most plant science records. LLR: log 2 likelihood ratios of each topic in each genus. Gray: topic-species combination not significantly enriched at the 5% level based on enrichment p -values adjusted for multiple testing with the Benjamini–Hochberg method [ 33 ]. The data used for plotting are in S9 Data . The statistics for all topics are in S10 Data .

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.g004

Assuming that the normalized number of publications reflects the relative intensity of research activities, one hypothesis for the relative decrease in focus on Arabidopsis is that advances in, for example, plant transformation, genetic manipulation, and genome research have allowed the adoption of more previously nonmodel taxa. Consistent with this, there was a precipitous increase in the number of genera being published in the mid-90s to early 2000s during which approaches for plant transgenics became established [ 34 ], but the number has remained steady since then ( S7A Fig ). The decrease in the proportion of Arabidopsis papers is also negatively correlated with the timing of an increase in the number of draft genomes ( S7B Fig and S9 Data ). It is plausible that genome availability for other species may have contributed to a shift away from Arabidopsis. Strikingly, when we analyzed US National Science Foundation records, we found that the numbers of funded grants mentioning Arabidopsis ( S7C Fig ) have risen and fallen in near perfect synchrony with the normalized number of Arabidopsis publication records (red line, Fig 4C ). This finding likely illustrates the impact of funding on Arabidopsis research.

By considering both taxa information and research topics, we can identify clear differences in the topical areas preferred by researchers using different plant taxa ( Fig 4D and S10 Data ). For example, studies of auxin/light signaling, the circadian clock, and flowering tend to be carried out in Arabidopsis, while quantitative genetic studies of disease resistance tend to be done in wheat and rice, glyphosate research in soybean, and RNA virus research in tobacco. Taken together, joint analyses of topics and species revealed additional details about changes in preferred models over time, and the preferred topical areas for different taxa.

Countries differ in their contributions to plant science and topical preference

We next investigated whether there were geographical differences in topical preference among countries by inferring country information from 330,187 records (see Materials and methods ). The 10 countries with the most records account for 73% of the total, with China and the US contributing to approximately 18% each ( Fig 5A ). The exponential growth in plant science records (green line, Fig 1A ) was in large part due to the rapid rise in annual record numbers in China and India ( Fig 5B ). When we examined the publication growth rates using the top 17 plant science journals, the general patterns remained the same ( S7D Fig ). On the other hand, the US, Japan, Germany, France, and Great Britain had slower rates of growth compared with all non-top 10 countries. The rapid increase in records from China and India was accompanied by a rapid increase in metrics measuring journal impact ( Figs 5C and S8 and S9 Data ). For example, using citation score ( Fig 5C , see Materials and methods ), we found that during a 22-year period China (dark green) and India (light green) rapidly approached the global average (y = 0, yellow), whereas some of the other top 10 countries, particularly the US (red) and Japan (yellow green), showed signs of decrease ( Fig 5C ). It remains to be determined whether these geographical trends reflect changes in priority, investment, and/or interest in plant science research.

(A) Numbers of plant science records for countries with the 10 highest numbers. (B) Percentage of all records from each of the top 10 countries from 1980 to 2020. (C) Difference in citation scores from 1999 to 2020 for the top 10 countries. (D) Shown for each country is the relationship between the citation scores averaged from 1999 to 2020 and the slope of linear fit with year as the predictive variable and citation score as the response variable. The countries with >400 records and with <10% missing impact values are included. Data used for plots (A–D) are in S11 Data . (E) Correlation in topic enrichment scores between the top 10 countries. PCC, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, positive in red, negative in blue. Yellow rectangle: countries with more similar topical preferences. (F) Enrichment scores (LLR, log likelihood ratio) of selected topics among the top 10 countries. Red: overrepresentation, blue: underrepresentation. Gray: topic-country combination that is not significantly enriched at the 5% level based on enrichment p -values adjusted for multiple testing with the Benjamini–Hochberg method (for all topics and plotting data, see S12 Data ).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.g005

Interestingly, the relative growth/decline in citation scores over time (measured as the slope of linear fit of year versus citation score) was significantly and negatively correlated with average citation score ( Fig 5D ); i.e., countries with lower overall metrics tended to experience the strongest increase in citation scores over time. Thus, countries that did not originally have a strong influence on plant sciences now have increased impact. These patterns were also observed when using H-index or journal rank as metrics ( S8 Fig and S11 Data ) and were not due to increased publication volume, as the metrics were normalized against numbers of records from each country (see Materials and methods ). In addition, the fact that different metrics with different caveats and assumptions yielded consistent conclusions indicates the robustness of our observations. We hypothesize that this may be a consequence of the ease in scientific communication among geographically isolated research groups. It could also be because of the prevalence of online journals that are open access, which makes scientific information more readily accessible. Or it can be due to the increasing international collaboration. In any case, the causes for such regression toward the mean are not immediately clear and should be addressed in future studies.

We also assessed how the plant research foci of countries differ by comparing topical preference (i.e., the degree of enrichment of plant science records in different topics) between countries. For example, Italy and Spain cluster together (yellow rectangle, Fig 5E ) partly because of similar research focusing on allergens (topic 0) and mycotoxins (topic 54) and less emphasis on gene family (topic 23) and stress tolerance (topic 28) studies ( Fig 5F , for the fold enrichment and corrected p -values of all topics, see S12 Data ). There are substantial differences in topical focus between countries ( S9 Fig ). For example, research on new plant compounds associated with herbal medicine (topic 69) is a focus in China but not in the US, but the opposite is true for population genetics and evolution (topic 86) ( Fig 5F ). In addition to revealing how plant science research has evolved over time, topic modeling provides additional insights into differences in research foci among different countries, which are informative for science policy considerations.

In this study, topic modeling revealed clear transitions among research topics, which represent shifts in research trends in plant sciences. One limitation of our study is the bias in the PubMed-based corpus. The cellular, molecular, and physiological aspects of plant sciences are well represented, but there are many fewer records related to evolution, ecology, and systematics. Our use of titles/abstracts from the top 17 plant science journals as positive examples allowed us to identify papers we typically see in these journals, but this may have led to us missing “outlier” articles, which may be the most exciting. Another limitation is the need to assign only one topic to a record when a study is interdisciplinary and straddles multiple topics. Furthermore, a limited number of large, inherently heterogeneous topics were summarized to provide a more concise interpretation, which undoubtedly underrepresents the diversity of plant science research. Despite these limitations, dynamic topic modeling revealed changes in plant science research trends that coincide with major shifts in biological science. While we were interested in identifying conceptual advances, our approach can identify the trend but the underlying causes for such trends, particularly key records leading to the growth in certain topics, still need to be identified. It also remains to be determined which changes in research trends lead to paradigm shifts as defined by Kuhn [ 35 ].

The key terms defining the topics frequently describe various technologies (e.g., topic 38/39: transformation, 40: genome editing, 59: genetic markers, 65: mass spectrometry, 69: nuclear magnetic resonance) or are indicative of studies enabled through molecular genetics and omics technologies (e.g., topic 8/60: genome, 11: epigenetic modifications, 18: molecular biological studies of macromolecules, 13: small RNAs, 61: quantitative genetics, 82/84: metagenomics). Thus, this analysis highlights how technological innovation, particularly in the realm of omics, has contributed to a substantial number of research topics in the plant sciences, a finding that likely holds for other scientific disciplines. We also found that the pattern of topic evolution is similar to that of succession, where older topics have mostly decreased in relative prevalence but appear to have been superseded by newer ones. One example is the rise of transcriptome-related topics and the correlated, reduced focus on regulation at levels other than transcription. This raises the question of whether research driven by technology negatively impacts other areas of research where high-throughput studies remain challenging.

One observation on the overall trends in plant science research is the approximately 10-year cycle in major shifts. One hypothesis is related to not only scientific advances but also to the fashion-driven aspect of science. Nonetheless, given that there were only 3 major shifts and the sample size is small, it is difficult to speculate as to why they happened. By analyzing the country of origin, we found that China and India have been the 2 major contributors to the growth in the plant science records in the last 20 years. Our findings also show an equalizing trend in global plant science where countries without a strong plant science publication presence have had an increased impact over the last 20 years. In addition, we identified significant differences in research topics between countries reflecting potential differences in investment and priorities. Such information is important for discerning differences in research trends across countries and can be considered when making policy decisions about research directions.

Materials and methods

Collection and preprocessing of a candidate plant science corpus.

For reproducibility purposes, a random state value of 20220609 was used throughout the study. The PubMed baseline files containing citation information ( ftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/baseline/ ) were downloaded on November 11, 2021. To narrow down the records to plant science-related citations, a candidate citation was identified as having, within the titles and/or abstracts, at least one of the following words: “plant,” “plants,” “botany,” “botanical,” “planta,” and “plantarum” (and their corresponding upper case and plural forms), or plant taxon identifiers from NCBI Taxonomy ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/taxonomy ) or USDA PLANTS Database ( https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/home ). Note the search terms used here have nothing to do with the values of the keyword field in PubMed records. The taxon identifiers include all taxon names including and at taxonomic levels below “Viridiplantae” till the genus level (species names not used). This led to 51,395 search terms. After looking for the search terms, qualified entries were removed if they were duplicated, lacked titles and/or abstracts, or were corrections, errata, or withdrawn articles. This left 1,385,417 citations, which were considered the candidate plant science corpus (i.e., a collection of texts). For further analysis, the title and abstract for each citation were combined into a single entry. Text was preprocessed by lowercasing, removing stop-words (i.e., common words), removing non-alphanumeric and non-white space characters (except Greek letters, dashes, and commas), and applying lemmatization (i.e., grouping inflected forms of a word as a single word) for comparison. Because lemmatization led to truncated scientific terms, it was not included in the final preprocessing pipeline.

Definition of positive/negative examples

Upon closer examination, a large number of false positives were identified in the candidate plant science records. To further narrow down citations with a plant science focus, text classification was used to distinguish plant science and non-plant science articles (see next section). For the classification task, a negative set (i.e., non-plant science citations) was defined as entries from 7,360 journals that appeared <20 times in the filtered data (total = 43,329, journal candidate count, S1 Data ). For the positive examples (i.e., true plant science citations), 43,329 plant science citations (positive examples) were sampled from 17 established plant science journals each with >2,000 entries in the filtered dataset: “Plant physiology,” “Frontiers in plant science,” “Planta,” “The Plant journal: for cell and molecular biology,” “Journal of experimental botany,” “Plant molecular biology,” “The New phytologist,” “The Plant cell,” “Phytochemistry,” “Plant & cell physiology,” “American journal of botany,” “Annals of botany,” “BMC plant biology,” “Tree physiology,” “Molecular plant-microbe interactions: MPMI,” “Plant biology,” and “Plant biotechnology journal” (journal candidate count, S1 Data ). Plant biotechnology journal was included, but only 1,894 records remained after removal of duplicates, articles with missing info, and/or withdrawn articles. The positive and negative sets were randomly split into training and testing subsets (4:1) while maintaining a 1:1 positive-to-negative ratio.

Text classification based on Tf and Tf-Idf

Instead of using the preprocessed text as features for building classification models directly, text embeddings (i.e., representations of texts in vectors) were used as features. These embeddings were generated using 4 approaches (model summary, S1 Data ): Term-frequency (Tf), Tf-Idf [ 36 ], Word2Vec [ 37 ], and BERT [ 6 ]. The Tf- and Tf-Idf-based features were generated with CountVectorizer and TfidfVectorizer, respectively, from Scikit-Learn [ 38 ]. Different maximum features (1e4 to 1e5) and n-gram ranges (uni-, bi-, and tri-grams) were tested. The features were selected based on the p- value of chi-squared tests testing whether a feature had a higher-than-expected value among the positive or negative classes. Four different p- value thresholds were tested for feature selection. The selected features were then used to retrain vectorizers with the preprocessed training texts to generate feature values for classification. The classification model used was XGBoost [ 39 ] with 5 combinations of the following hyperparameters tested during 5-fold stratified cross-validation: min_child_weight = (1, 5, 10), gamma = (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2.5), subsample = (0.6, 0.8, 1.0), colsample_bytree = (0.6, 0.8, 1.0), and max_depth = (3, 4, 5). The rest of the hyperparameters were held constant: learning_rate = 0.2, n_estimators = 600, objective = binary:logistic. RandomizedSearchCV from Scikit-Learn was used for hyperparameter tuning and cross-validation with scoring = F1-score.

Because the Tf-Idf model had a relatively high model performance and was relatively easy to interpret (terms are frequency-based, instead of embedding-based like those generated by Word2Vec and BERT), the Tf-Idf model was selected as input to SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP; [ 14 ]) to assess the importance of terms. Because the Tf-Idf model was based on XGBoost, a tree-based algorithm, the TreeExplainer module in SHAP was used to determine a SHAP value for each entry in the training dataset for each Tf-Idf feature. The SHAP value indicates the degree to which a feature positively or negatively affects the underlying prediction. The importance of a Tf-Idf feature was calculated as the average SHAP value of that feature among all instances. Because a Tf-Idf feature is generated based on a specific term, the importance of the Tf-Idf feature indicates the importance of the associated term.

Text classification based on Word2Vec

The preprocessed texts were first split into train, validation, and test subsets (8:1:1). The texts in each subset were converted to 3 n-gram lists: a unigram list obtained by splitting tokens based on the space character, or bi- and tri-gram lists built with Gensim [ 40 ]. Each n-gram list of the training subset was next used to fit a Skip-gram Word2Vec model with vector_size = 300, window = 8, min_count = (5, 10, or 20), sg = 1, and epochs = 30. The Word2Vec model was used to generate word embeddings for train, validate, and test subsets. In the meantime, a tokenizer was trained with train subset unigrams using Tensorflow [ 41 ] and used to tokenize texts in each subset and turn each token into indices to use as features for training text classification models. To ensure all citations had the same number of features (500), longer texts were truncated, and shorter ones were zero-padded. A deep learning model was used to train a text classifier with an input layer the same size as the feature number, an attention layer incorporating embedding information for each feature, 2 bidirectional Long-Short-Term-Memory layers (15 units each), a dense layer (64 units), and a final, output layer with 2 units. During training, adam, accuracy, and sparse_categorical_crossentropy were used as the optimizer, evaluation metric, and loss function, respectively. The training process lasted 30 epochs with early stopping if validation loss did not improve in 5 epochs. An F1 score was calculated for each n-gram list and min_count parameter combination to select the best model (model summary, S1 Data ).

Text classification based on BERT models

Two pretrained models were used for BERT-based classification: DistilBERT (Hugging face repository [ 42 ] model name and version: distilbert-base-uncased [ 43 ]) and SciBERT (allenai/scibert-scivocab-uncased [ 16 ]). In both cases, tokenizers were retrained with the training data. BERT-based models had the following architecture: the token indices (512 values for each token) and associated masked values as input layers, pretrained BERT layer (512 × 768) excluding outputs, a 1D pooling layer (768 units), a dense layer (64 units), and an output layer (2 units). The rest of the training parameters were the same as those for Word2Vec-based models, except training lasted for 20 epochs. Cross-validation F1-scores for all models were compared and used to select the best model for each feature extraction method, hyperparameter combination, and modeling algorithm or architecture (model summary, S1 Data ). The best model was the Word2Vec-based model (min_count = 20, window = 8, ngram = 3), which was applied to the candidate plant science corpus to identify a set of plant science citations for further analysis. The candidate plant science records predicted as being in the positive class (421,658) by the model were collectively referred to as the “plant science corpus.”

Plant science record classification

In PubMed, 1,384,718 citations containing “plant” or any plant taxon names (from the phylum to genus level) were considered candidate plant science citations. To further distinguish plant science citations from those in other fields, text classification models were trained using titles and abstracts of positive examples consisting of citations from 17 plant science journals, each with >2,000 entries in PubMed, and negative examples consisting of records from journals with fewer than 20 entries in the candidate set. Among 4 models tested the best model (built with Word2Vec embeddings) had a cross validation F1 of 0.964 (random guess F1 = 0.5, perfect model F1 = 1, S1 Data ). When testing the model using 17,330 testing set citations independent from the training set, the F1 remained high at 0.961.

We also conducted another analysis attempting to use the MeSH term “Plants” as a benchmark. Records with the MeSH term “Plants” also include pharmaceutical studies of plants and plant metabolites or immunological studies of plants as allergens in journals that are not generally considered plant science journals (e.g., Acta astronautica , International journal for parasitology , Journal of chromatography ) or journals from local scientific societies (e.g., Acta pharmaceutica Hungarica , Huan jing ke xue , Izvestiia Akademii nauk . Seriia biologicheskaia ). Because we explicitly labeled papers from such journals as negative examples, we focused on 4,004 records with the “Plants” MeSH term published in the 17 plant science journals that were used as positive instances and found that 88.3% were predicted as the positive class. Thus, based on the MeSH term, there is an 11.7% false prediction rate.

We also enlisted 5 plant science colleagues (3 advanced graduate students in plant biology and genetic/genome science graduate programs, 1 postdoctoral breeder/quantitative biologist, and 1 postdoctoral biochemist/geneticist) to annotate 100 randomly selected abstracts as a reviewer suggested. Each record was annotated by 2 colleagues. Among 85 entries where the annotations are consistent between annotators, 48 were annotated as negative but with 7 predicted as positive (false positive rate = 14.6%) and 37 were annotated as positive but with 4 predicted as negative (false negative rate = 10.8%). To further benchmark the performance of the text classification model, we identified another 12 journals that focus on plant science studies to use as benchmarks: Current opinion in plant biology (number of articles: 1,806), Trends in plant science (1,723), Functional plant biology (1,717), Molecular plant pathology (1,573), Molecular plant (1,141), Journal of integrative plant biology (1,092), Journal of plant research (1,032), Physiology and molecular biology of plants (830), Nature plants (538), The plant pathology journal (443). Annual review of plant biology (417), and The plant genome (321). Among the 12,611 candidate plant science records, 11,386 were predicted as positive. Thus, there is a 9.9% false negative rate.

Global topic modeling

BERTopic [ 15 ] was used for preliminary topic modeling with n-grams = (1,2) and with an embedding initially generated by DistilBERT, SciBERT, or BioBERT (dmis-lab/biobert-base-cased-v1.2; [ 44 ]). The embedding models converted preprocessed texts to embeddings. The topics generated based on the 3 embeddings were similar ( S2 Data ). However, SciBERT-, BioBERT-, and distilBERT-based embedding models had different numbers of outlier records (268,848, 293,790, and 323,876, respectively) with topic index = −1. In addition to generating the fewest outliers, the SciBERT-based model led to the highest number of topics. Therefore, SciBERT was chosen as the embedding model for the final round of topic modeling. Modeling consisted of 3 steps. First, document embeddings were generated with SentenceTransformer [ 45 ]. Second, a clustering model to aggregate documents into clusters using hdbscan [ 46 ] was initialized with min_cluster_size = 500, metric = euclidean, cluster_selection_method = eom, min_samples = 5. Third, the embedding and the initialized hdbscan model were used in BERTopic to model topics with neighbors = 10, nr_topics = 500, ngram_range = (1,2). Using these parameters, 90 topics were identified. The initial topic assignments were conservative, and 241,567 records were considered outliers (i.e., documents not assigned to any of the 90 topics). After assessing the prediction scores of all records generated from the fitted topic models, the 95-percentile score was 0.0155. This score was used as the threshold for assigning outliers to topics: If the maximum prediction score was above the threshold and this maximum score was for topic t , then the outlier was assigned to t . After the reassignment, 49,228 records remained outliers. To assess if some of the outliers were not assigned because they could be assigned to multiple topics, the prediction scores of the records were used to put records into 100 clusters using k- means. Each cluster was then assessed to determine if the outlier records in a cluster tended to have higher prediction scores across multiple topics ( S2 Fig ).

Topics that are most and least well connected to other topics

The most well-connected topics in the network include topic 24 (stress mechanisms, median cosine similarity = 0.36), topic 42 (genes, stress, and transcriptomes, 0.34), and topic 35 (molecular genetics, 0.32, all t test p -values < 1 × 10 −22 ). The least connected topics include topic 0 (allergen research, median cosine similarity = 0.12), topic 21 (clock biology, 0.12), topic 1 (tissue culture, 0.15), and topic 69 (identification of compounds with spectroscopic methods, 0.15; all t test p- values < 1 × 10 −24 ). Topics 0, 1, and 69 are specialized topics; it is surprising that topic 21 is not as well connected as explained in the main text.

Analysis of documents based on the topic model

Topical diversity among top journals with the most plant science records

Using a relative topic diversity measure (ranging from 0 to 10), we found that there was a wide range of topical diversity among 20 journals with the largest numbers of plant science records ( S3 Fig ). The 4 journals with the highest relative topical diversities are Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , USA (9.6), Scientific Reports (7.1), Plant Physiology (6.7), and PLOS ONE (6.4). The high diversities are consistent with the broad, editorial scopes of these journals. The 4 journals with the lowest diversities are American Journal of Botany (1.6), Oecologia (0.7), Plant Disease (0.7), and Theoretical and Applied Genetics (0.3), which reflects their discipline-specific focus and audience of classical botanists, ecologists, plant pathologists, and specific groups of geneticists.

Dynamic topic modeling

The codes for dynamic modeling were based on _topic_over_time.py in BERTopics and modified to allow additional outputs for debugging and graphing purposes. The plant science citations were binned into 50 subsets chronologically (for timestamps of bins, see S5 Data ). Because the numbers of documents increased exponentially over time, instead of dividing them based on equal-sized time intervals, which would result in fewer records at earlier time points and introduce bias, we divided them into time bins of similar size (approximately 8,400 documents). Thus, the earlier time subsets had larger time spans compared with later time subsets. If equal-size time intervals were used, the numbers of documents between the intervals would differ greatly; the earlier time points would have many fewer records, which may introduce bias. Prior to binning the subsets, the publication dates were converted to UNIX time (timestamp) in seconds; the plant science records start in 1917-11-1 (timestamp = −1646247600.0) and end in 2021-1-1 (timestamp = 1609477201). The starting dates and corresponding timestamps for the 50 subsets including the end date are in S6 Data . The input data included the preprocessed texts, topic assignments of records from global topic modeling, and the binned timestamps of records. Three additional parameters were set for topics_over_time, namely, nr_bin = 50 (number of bins), evolution_tuning = True, and global_tuning = False. The evolution_tuning parameter specified that averaged c-Tf-Idf values for a topic be calculated in neighboring time bins to reduce fluctuation in c-Tf-Idf values. The global_tuning parameter was set to False because of the possibility that some nonexisting terms could have a high c-Tf-Idf for a time bin simply because there was a high global c-Tf-Idf value for that term.

The binning strategy based on similar document numbers per bin allowed us to increase signal particularly for publications prior to the 90s. This strategy, however, may introduce more noise for bins with smaller time durations (i.e., more recent bins) because of publication frequencies (there can be seasonal differences in the number of papers published, biased toward, e.g., the beginning of the year or the beginning of a quarter). To address this, we examined the relative frequencies of each topic over time ( S7 Data ), but we found that recent time bins had similar variances in relative frequencies as other time bins. We also moderated the impact of variation using LOWESS (10% to 30% of the data points were used for fitting the trend lines) to determine topical trends for Fig 3 . Thus, the influence of the noise introduced via our binning strategy is expected to be minimal.

Topic categories and ordering

The topics were classified into 5 categories with contrasting trends: stable, early, transitional, sigmoidal, and rising. To define which category a topic belongs to, the frequency of documents over time bins for each topic was analyzed using 3 regression methods. We first tried 2 forecasting methods: recursive autoregressor (the ForecasterAutoreg class in the skforecast package) and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA implemented in the pmdarima package). In both cases, the forecasting results did not clearly follow the expected trend lines, likely due to the low numbers of data points (relative frequency values), which resulted in the need to extensively impute missing data. Thus, as a third approach, we sought to fit the trendlines with the data points using LOWESS (implemented in the statsmodels package) and applied additional criteria for assigning topics to categories. When fitting with LOWESS, 3 fraction parameters (frac, the fraction of the data used when estimating each y-value) were evaluated (0.1, 0.2, 0.3). While frac = 0.3 had the smallest errors for most topics, in situations where there were outliers, frac = 0.2 or 0.1 was chosen to minimize mean squared errors ( S7 Data ).

The topics were classified into 5 categories based on the slopes of the fitted line over time: (1) stable: topics with near 0 slopes over time; (2) early: topics with negative (<−0.5) slopes throughout (with the exception of topic 78, which declined early on but bounced back by the late 1990s); (3) transitional: early positive (>0.5) slopes followed by negative slopes at later time points; (4) sigmoidal: early positive slopes followed by zero slopes at later time points; and (5) rising: continuously positive slopes. For each topic, the LOWESS fits were also used to determine when the relative document frequency reached its peak, first reaching a threshold of 0.6 (chosen after trial and error for a range of 0.3 to 0.9), and the overall trend. The topics were then ordered based on (1) whether they belonged to the stable category or not; (2) whether the trends were decreasing, stable, or increasing; (3) the time the relative document frequency first reached 0.6; and (4) the time that the overall peak was reached ( S8 Data ).

Taxa information

To identify a taxon or taxa in all plant science records, NCBI Taxonomy taxdump datasets were downloaded from the NCBI FTP site ( https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/taxonomy/new_taxdump/ ) on September 20, 2022. The highest-level taxon was Viridiplantae, and all its child taxa were parsed and used as queries in searches against the plant science corpus. In addition, a species-over-time analysis was conducted using the same time bins as used for dynamic topic models. The number of records in different time bins for top taxa are in the genus, family, order, and additional species level sheet in S9 Data . The degree of over-/underrepresentation of a taxon X in a research topic T was assessed using the p -value of a Fisher’s exact test for a 2 × 2 table consisting of the numbers of records in both X and T, in X but not T, in T but not X, and in neither ( S10 Data ).

For analysis of plant taxa with genome information, genome data of taxa in Viridiplantae were obtained from the NCBI Genome data-hub ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/data-hub/genome ) on October 28, 2022. There were 2,384 plant genome assemblies belonging to 1,231 species in 559 genera (genome assembly sheet, S9 Data ). The date of the assembly was used as a proxy for the time when a genome was sequenced. However, some species have updated assemblies and have more recent data than when the genome first became available.

Taxa being studied in the plant science records

Flowering plants (Magnoliopsida) are found in 93% of records, while most other lineages are discussed in <1% of records, with conifers and related species being exceptions (Acrogynomsopermae, 3.5%, S6A Fig ). At the family level, the mustard (Brassicaceae), grass (Poaceae), pea (Fabaceae), and nightshade (Solanaceae) families are in 51% of records ( S6B Fig ). The prominence of the mustard family in plant science research is due to the Brassica and Arabidopsis genera ( Fig 4A ). When examining the prevalence of taxa being studied over time, clear patterns of turnovers emerged ( Figs 4B , S6C, and S6D ). While the study of monocot species (Liliopsida) has remained steady, there was a significant uptick in the prevalence of eudicot (eudicotyledon) records in the late 90s ( S6C Fig ), which can be attributed to the increased number of studies in the mustard, myrtle (Myrtaceae), and mint (Lamiaceae) families among others ( S6D Fig ). At the genus level, records mentioning Gossypium (cotton), Phaseolus (bean), Hordeum (wheat), and Zea (corn), similar to the topics in the early category, were prevalent till the 1980s or 1990s but have mostly decreased in number since ( Fig 4B ). In contrast, Capsicum , Arabidopsis , Oryza , Vitus , and Solanum research has become more prevalent over the last 20 years.

Geographical information for the plant science corpus

The geographical information (country) of authors in the plant science corpus was obtained from the address (AD) fields of first authors in Medline XML records accessible through the NCBI EUtility API ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK25501/ ). Because only first author affiliations are available for records published before December 2014, only the first author’s location was considered to ensure consistency between records before and after that date. Among the 421,658 records in the plant science corpus, 421,585 had Medline records and 421,276 had unique PMIDs. Among the records with unique PMIDs, 401,807 contained address fields. For each of the remaining records, the AD field content was split into tokens with a “,” delimiter, and the token likely containing geographical info (referred to as location tokens) was selected as either the last token or the second to last token if the last token contained “@” indicating the presence of an email address. Because of the inconsistency in how geographical information was described in the location tokens (e.g., country, state, city, zip code, name of institution, and different combinations of the above), the following 4 approaches were used to convert location tokens into countries.

The first approach was a brute force search where full names and alpha-3 codes of current countries (ISO 3166–1), current country subregions (ISO 3166–2), and historical country (i.e., country that no longer exists, ISO 3166–3) were used to search the address fields. To reduce false positives using alpha-3 codes, a space prior to each code was required for the match. The first approach allowed the identification of 361,242, 16,573, and 279,839 records with current country, historical country, and subregion information, respectively. The second method was the use of a heuristic based on common address field structures to identify “location strings” toward the end of address fields that likely represent countries, then the use of the Python pycountry module to confirm the presence of country information. This approach led to 329,025 records with country information. The third approach was to parse first author email addresses (90,799 records), recover top-level domain information, and use country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) data from the ISO 3166 Wikipedia page to define countries (72,640 records). Only a subset of email addresses contains country information because some are from companies (.com), nonprofit organizations (.org), and others. Because a large number of records with address fields still did not have country information after taking the above 3 approaches, another approach was implemented to query address fields against a locally installed Nominatim server (v.4.2.3, https://github.com/mediagis/nominatim-docker ) using OpenStreetMap data from GEOFABRIK ( https://www.geofabrik.de/ ) to find locations. Initial testing indicated that the use of full address strings led to false positives, and the computing resource requirement for running the server was high. Thus, only location strings from the second approach that did not lead to country information were used as queries. Because multiple potential matches were returned for each query, the results were sorted based on their location importance values. The above steps led to an additional 72,401 records with country information.

Examining the overlap in country information between approaches revealed that brute force current country and pycountry searches were consistent 97.1% of the time. In addition, both approaches had high consistency with the email-based approach (92.4% and 93.9%). However, brute force subregion and Nominatim-based predictions had the lowest consistencies with the above 3 approaches (39.8% to 47.9%) and each other. Thus, a record’s country information was finalized if the information was consistent between any 2 approaches, except between the brute force subregion and Nominatim searches. This led to 330,328 records with country information.

Topical and country impact metrics

To determine annual country impact, impact scores were determined in the same way as that for annual topical impact, except that values for different countries were calculated instead of topics ( S8 Data ).

Topical preferences by country

To determine topical preference for a country C , a 2 × 2 table was established with the number of records in topic T from C , the number of records in T but not from C , the number of non- T records from C , and the number of non- T records not from C . A Fisher’s exact test was performed for each T and C combination, and the resulting p -values were corrected for multiple testing with the Bejamini–Hochberg method (see S12 Data ). The preference of T in C was defined as the degree of enrichment calculated as log likelihood ratio of values in the 2 × 2 table. Topic 5 was excluded because >50% of the countries did not have records for this topic.

The top 10 countries could be classified into a China–India cluster, an Italy–Spain cluster, and remaining countries (yellow rectangles, Fig 5E ). The clustering of Italy and Spain is partly due to similar research focusing on allergens (topic 0) and mycotoxins (topic 54) and less emphasis on gene family (topic 23) and stress tolerance (topic 28) studies ( Figs 5F and S9 ). There are also substantial differences in topical focus between countries. For example, plant science records from China tend to be enriched in hyperspectral imaging and modeling (topic 9), gene family studies (topic 23), stress biology (topic 28), and research on new plant compounds associated with herbal medicine (topic 69), but less emphasis on population genetics and evolution (topic 86, Fig 5F ). In the US, there is a strong focus on insect pest resistance (topic 75), climate, community, and diversity (topic 83), and population genetics and evolution but less focus on new plant compounds. In summary, in addition to revealing how plant science research has evolved over time, topic modeling provides additional insights into differences in research foci among different countries.

Supporting information

S1 fig. plant science record classification model performance..

(A–C) Distributions of prediction probabilities (y_prob) of (A) positive instances (plant science records), (B) negative instances (non-plant science records), and (C) positive instances with the Medical Subject Heading “Plants” (ID = D010944). The data are color coded in blue and orange if they are correctly and incorrectly predicted, respectively. The lower subfigures contain log10-transformed x axes for the same distributions as the top subfigure for better visualization of incorrect predictions. (D) Prediction probability distribution for candidate plant science records. Prediction probabilities plotted here are available in S13 Data .

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s001

S2 Fig. Relationships between outlier clusters and the 90 topics.

(A) Heatmap demonstrating that some outlier clusters tend to have high prediction scores for multiple topics. Each cell shows the average prediction score of a topic for records in an outlier cluster. (B) Size of outlier clusters.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s002

S3 Fig. Cosine similarities between topics.

(A) Heatmap showing cosine similarities between topic pairs. Top-left: hierarchical clustering of the cosine similarity matrix using the Ward algorithm. The branches are colored to indicate groups of related topics. (B) Topic labels and names. The topic ordering was based on hierarchical clustering of topics. Colored rectangles: neighboring topics with >0.5 cosine similarities.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s003

S4 Fig. Relative topical diversity for 20 journals.

The 20 journals with the most plant science records are shown. The journal names were taken from the journal list in PubMed ( https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/serfile_addedinfo.html ).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s004

S5 Fig. Topical frequency and top terms during different time periods.

(A-D) Different patterns of topical frequency distributions for example topics (A) 48, (B) 35, (C) 27, and (D) 42. For each topic, the top graph shows the frequency of topical records in each time bin, which are the same as those in Fig 3 (green line), and the end date for each bin is indicated. The heatmap below each line plot depicts whether a term is among the top terms in a time bin (yellow) or not (blue). Blue dotted lines delineate different decades (see S5 Data for the original frequencies, S6 Data for the LOWESS fitted frequencies and the top terms for different topics/time bins).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s005

S6 Fig. Prevalence of records mentioning different taxonomic groups in Viridiplantae.

(A, B) Percentage of records mentioning specific taxa at the ( A) major lineage and (B) family levels. (C, D) The prevalence of taxon mentions over time at the (C) major lineage and (E) family levels. The data used for plotting are available in S9 Data .

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s006

S7 Fig. Changes over time.

(A) Number of genera being mentioned in plant science records during different time bins (the date indicates the end date of that bin, exclusive). (B) Numbers of genera (blue) and organisms (salmon) with draft genomes available from National Center of Biotechnology Information in different years. (C) Percentage of US National Science Foundation (NSF) grants mentioning the genus Arabidopsis over time with peak percentage and year indicated. The data for (A–C) are in S9 Data . (D) Number of plant science records in the top 17 plant science journals from the USA (red), Great Britain (GBR) (orange), India (IND) (light green), and China (CHN) (dark green) normalized against the total numbers of publications of each country over time in these 17 journals. The data used for plotting can be found in S11 Data .

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s007

S8 Fig. Change in country impact on plant science over time.

(A, B) Difference in 2 impact metrics from 1999 to 2020 for the 10 countries with the highest number of plant science records. (A) H-index. (B) SCImago Journal Rank (SJR). (C, D) Plots show the relationships between the impact metrics (H-index in (C) , SJR in (D) ) averaged from 1999 to 2020 and the slopes of linear fits with years as the predictive variable and impact metric as the response variable for different countries (A3 country codes shown). The countries with >400 records and with <10% missing impact values are included. The data used for plotting can be found in S11 Data .

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s008

S9 Fig. Country topical preference.

Enrichment scores (LLR, log likelihood ratio) of topics for each of the top 10 countries. Red: overrepresentation, blue: underrepresentation. The data for plotting can be found in S12 Data .

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s009

S1 Data. Summary of source journals for plant science records, prediction models, and top Tf-Idf features.

Sheet–Candidate plant sci record j counts: Number of records from each journal in the candidate plant science corpus (before classification). Sheet—Plant sci record j count: Number of records from each journal in the plant science corpus (after classification). Sheet–Model summary: Model type, text used (txt_flag), and model parameters used. Sheet—Model performance: Performance of different model and parameter combinations on the validation data set. Sheet–Tf-Idf features: The average SHAP values of Tf-Idf (Term frequency-Inverse document frequency) features associated with different terms. Sheet–PubMed number per year: The data for PubMed records in Fig 1A . Sheet–Plant sci record num per yr: The data for the plant science records in Fig 1A .

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s010

S2 Data. Numbers of records in topics identified from preliminary topic models.

Sheet–Topics generated with a model based on BioBERT embeddings. Sheet–Topics generated with a model based on distilBERT embeddings. Sheet–Topics generated with a model based on SciBERT embeddings.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s011

S3 Data. Final topic model labels and top terms for topics.

Sheet–Topic label: The topic index and top 10 terms with the highest cTf-Idf values. Sheets– 0 to 89: The top 50 terms and their c-Tf-Idf values for topics 0 to 89.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s012

S4 Data. UMAP representations of different topics.

For a topic T , records in the UMAP graph are colored red and records not in T are colored gray.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s013

S5 Data. Temporal relationships between published documents projected onto 2D space.

The 2D embedding generated with UMAP was used to plot document relationships for each year. The plots from 1975 to 2020 were compiled into an animation.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s014

S6 Data. Timestamps and dates for dynamic topic modeling.

Sheet–bin_timestamp: Columns are: (1) order index; (2) bin_idx–relative positions of bin labels; (3) bin_timestamp–UNIX time in seconds; and (4) bin_date–month/day/year. Sheet–Topic frequency per timestamp: The number of documents in each time bin for each topic. Sheets–LOWESS fit 0.1/0.2/0.3: Topic frequency per timestamp fitted with the fraction parameter of 0.1, 0.2, or 0.3. Sheet—Topic top terms: The top 5 terms for each topic in each time bin.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s015

S7 Data. Locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOWESS) of topical document frequencies over time.

There are 90 scatter plots, one for each topic, where the x axis is time, and the y axis is the document frequency (blue dots). The LOWESS fit is shown as orange points connected with a green line. The category a topic belongs to and its order in Fig 3 are labeled on the top left corner. The data used for plotting are in S6 Data .

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s016

S8 Data. The 4 criteria used for sorting topics.

Peak: the time when the LOWESS fit of the frequencies of a topic reaches maximum. 1st_reach_thr: the time when the LOWESS fit first reaches a threshold of 60% maximal frequency (peak value). Trend: upward (1), no change (0), or downward (−1). Stable: whether a topic belongs to the stable category (1) or not (0).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s017

S9 Data. Change in taxon record numbers and genome assemblies available over time.

Sheet–Genus: Number of records mentioning a genus during different time periods (in Unix timestamp) for the top 100 genera. Sheet–Genus: Number of records mentioning a family during different time periods (in Unix timestamp) for the top 100 families. Sheet–Genus: Number of records mentioning an order during different time periods (in Unix timestamp) for the top 20 orders. Sheet–Species levels: Number of records mentioning 12 selected taxonomic levels higher than the order level during different time periods (in Unix timestamp). Sheet–Genome assembly: Plant genome assemblies available from NCBI as of October 28, 2022. Sheet–Arabidopsis NSF: Absolute and normalized numbers of US National Science Foundation funded proposals mentioning Arabidopsis in proposal titles and/or abstracts.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s018

S10 Data. Taxon topical preference.

Sheet– 5 genera LLR: The log likelihood ratio of each topic in each of the top 5 genera with the highest numbers of plant science records. Sheets– 5 genera: For each genus, the columns are: (1) topic; (2) the Fisher’s exact test p -value (Pvalue); (3–6) numbers of records in topic T and in genus X (n_inT_inX), in T but not in X (n_inT_niX), not in T but in X (n_niT_inX), and not in T and X (n_niT_niX) that were used to construct 2 × 2 tables for the tests; and (7) the log likelihood ratio generated with the 2 × 2 tables. Sheet–corrected p -value: The 4 values for generating LLRs were used to conduct Fisher’s exact test. The p -values obtained for each country were corrected for multiple testing.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s019

S11 Data. Impact metrics of countries in different years.

Sheet–country_top25_year_count: number of total publications and publications per year from the top 25 countries with the most plant science records. Sheet—country_top25_year_top17j: number of total publications and publications per year from the top 25 countries with the highest numbers of plant science records in the 17 plant science journals used as positive examples. Sheet–prank: Journal percentile rank scores for countries (3-letter country codes following https://www.iban.com/country-codes ) in different years from 1999 to 2020. Sheet–sjr: Scimago Journal rank scores. Sheet–hidx: H-Index scores. Sheet–cite: Citation scores.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s020

S12 Data. Topical enrichment for the top 10 countries with the highest numbers of plant science publications.

Sheet—Log likelihood ratio: For each country C and topic T, it is defined as log((a/b)/(c/d)) where a is the number of papers from C in T, b is the number from C but not in T, c is the number not from C but in T, d is the number not from C and not in T. Sheet: corrected p -value: The 4 values, a, b, c, and d, were used to conduct Fisher’s exact test. The p -values obtained for each country were corrected for multiple testing.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s021

S13 Data. Text classification prediction probabilities.

This compressed file contains the PubMed ID (PMID) and the prediction probabilities (y_pred) of testing data with both positive and negative examples (pred_prob_testing), plant science candidate records with the MeSH term “Plants” (pred_prob_candidates_with_mesh), and all plant science candidate records (pred_prob_candidates_all). The prediction probability was generated using the Word2Vec text classification models for distinguishing positive (plant science) and negative (non-plant science) records.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002612.s022

Acknowledgments

We thank Maarten Grootendorst for discussions on topic modeling. We also thank Stacey Harmer, Eva Farre, Ning Jiang, and Robert Last for discussion on their respective research fields and input on how to improve this study and Rudiger Simon for the suggestion to examine differences between countries. We also thank Mae Milton, Christina King, Edmond Anderson, Jingyao Tang, Brianna Brown, Kenia Segura Abá, Eleanor Siler, Thilanka Ranaweera, Huan Chen, Rajneesh Singhal, Paulo Izquierdo, Jyothi Kumar, Daniel Shiu, Elliott Shiu, and Wiggler Catt for their good ideas, personal and professional support, collegiality, fun at parties, as well as the trouble they have caused, which helped us improve as researchers, teachers, mentors, and parents.

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171+ Botany Research Topics For High School Students

Botany subject matter takes center stage in our blog, offering a captivating exploration of the latest advancements and intriguing facets within the realm of plant science. Delving into diverse Botany research topics, we unravel the complexities of plant life, from molecular intricacies to ecological dynamics. Whether you’re a seasoned botanist, a curious learner, or simply fascinated by the wonders of the botanical world, our blog promises to be a rich resource. 

Join us on a journey through the verdant landscapes of scientific discovery, where each post unveils the secrets and marvels that make plants not just a living entity, but an endlessly intriguing and vital part of our planet. Let the exploration of Botany’s wonders commence!

Table of Contents

About Botany Research Topic

Botany research topics for high school students offer a fascinating journey into the world of plants, cultivating both academic growth and practical skills. By aligning research interests, relevance to the curriculum, and collaboration with teachers, students can explore captivating ideas like plant adaptations to climate change, medicinal properties of indigenous plants, and the impact of soil pH on plant growth. Access to resources such as laboratory facilities, online databases, and botanical gardens empowers students to conduct experiments, analyze data, and present their findings effectively. Overcoming challenges, sharing success stories, and considering the broader impact on college applications enrich the botany research experience, fostering a lifelong passion for plant sciences. Discover the boundless possibilities within this engaging field.

Importance of Botany Research for High School Students

Here are some importance of botany research topics for students: 

1. Academic Growth

High school students engaging in botany research not only enhance their academic prowess but also develop critical thinking skills. Exploring the intricate world of plants fosters a deeper understanding of biological concepts.

2. Skill Development

Beyond textbooks, botany research cultivates practical skills. From designing experiments to analyzing data, students gain hands-on experience that transcends the confines of traditional classroom learning.

3. Future Career Opportunities

Botany research sets the stage for future career opportunities in diverse fields such as environmental science, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals. It serves as a stepping stone for those passionate about contributing to scientific advancements.

4. Personal Growth and Curiosity

Engaging in botany research sparks personal growth and curiosity among high school students. Investigating plant life encourages a sense of wonder and a desire for knowledge, instilling a lifelong love for learning. This intrinsic motivation goes beyond academic requirements, nurturing a curious mindset that extends into various aspects of their lives.

5. Environmental Awareness and Conservation

Botany research instills a sense of environmental awareness and conservation ethics in high school students. By studying plant ecosystems, students develop a profound understanding of the delicate balance within nature. This heightened awareness cultivates a responsibility towards environmental stewardship, preparing them to address pressing global issues related to biodiversity loss and climate change.

Choosing Botany Research Topics

Here are some steps to choose the botany research topics for students:

Aligning with Interest

Selecting a topic aligned with personal interests enhances motivation and engagement. Whether it’s the study of plant adaptations or medicinal properties, a genuine curiosity fuels meaningful research.

Relevance to High School Curriculum

Choosing topics relevant to the high school curriculum ensures that students integrate research seamlessly into their academic journey. This alignment facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of botanical concepts.

Collaboration with Teacher

Teachers play a pivotal role in guiding students toward suitable research topics. Collaborating with educators helps students navigate the vast array of possibilities and ensures the chosen topic aligns with academic goals.

Also Read: ECE Project Ideas for Final Year

Botany Research Topics For High School Students

Here are some botany research topics for high school students in 2024:

Plant Adaptations

• The Role of Leaf Morphology in Drought Resistance
• Investigating Root Modifications for Nutrient Absorption
• Adaptations of Xerophytes to Arid Environments
• Comparative Study of Hydrophyte Adaptations in Aquatic Environments
• Sun vs. Shade: Examining Plant Responses to Light Variations
• Thermal Adaptations in Plants: Surviving Extreme Temperatures
• Evolutionary Patterns in Plant Adaptations to High Altitudes
• Investigating CAM Photosynthesis in Desert Plants
• Role of Epiphytic Plants in Tropical Forest Canopies
• Exploring Plant Responses to Soil Salinity
• Xylem Adaptations for Water Transport in Drought-Resistant Plants
• Investigating Leaf Surface Structures in Hydrophobic Plant Adaptations
• Shade Tolerance in Plants: Examining Strategies for Low-Light Environments
• Extreme Cold Adaptations: How Plants Survive Freezing Temperatures
• Evolutionary Significance of Plant Mimicry in Adaptations

Medicinal Plants

• Bioactive Compounds in Traditional Medicinal Herbs
• Evaluating Antimicrobial Properties of Plant Extracts
• Investigating Anti-Inflammatory Agents in Medicinal Plants
• Analyzing the Potential of Plants in Cancer Treatment
• Ethnobotany: Studying Indigenous Medicinal Plant Knowledge
• Comparative Analysis of Medicinal Properties in Common Weeds
• Herbal Remedies for Respiratory Disorders: A Botanical Perspective
• Antioxidant Properties of Culinary Herbs
• Exploring Plant-Based Therapies for Neurological Disorders
• Investigating Anti-diabetic Compounds in Plant Extracts
• Investigating Plant-Based Compounds for Antiviral Properties
• Neuroprotective Properties of Plants: Potential Therapies for Brain Health
• Traditional vs. Modern Medicine: A Comparative Study of Plant Remedies
• Anti-inflammatory Potential of Plants Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Exploring Plant-Based Treatments for Metabolic Syndrome

Soil and Plant Growth

• Impact of Soil Microorganisms on Plant Health
• Soil Amendments and Their Effect on Crop Yields
• Rhizosphere Ecology: Understanding Soil-Root Interactions
• Soil pH Variations and Their Influence on Plant Nutrient Uptake
• Nitrogen-Fixing Plants: Enhancing Soil Fertility
• Allelopathy: Investigating Plant-Plant Interactions in Soils
• The Role of Mycorrhizal Fungi in Nutrient Absorption
• Soil Erosion Control: Plant-Based Strategies
• Microbial Biofertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture
• Phytoremediation of Contaminated Soils
• Microbial Diversity in Rhizosphere: Its Impact on Plant Health
• Exploring Organic Soil Amendments for Sustainable Crop Production
• The Influence of Soil Microbes on Nitrogen Fixation in Leguminous Plants
• Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Phosphorus Uptake: A Mutualistic Relationship
• Phytoremediation of Heavy Metals: Plant-Based Strategies for Soil Cleanup

Plant Genetics

• Genetic Variation in Wild vs. Cultivated Plant Populations
• Epigenetic Modifications in Plant Development
• CRISPR-Cas9 Technology in Plant Genome Editing
• Investigating Plant Hybridization and Its Implications
• Mendelian Genetics in Plant Breeding
• Genetic Diversity in Endangered Plant Species
• Gene Expression in Response to Environmental Stress
• Study of Plant Genome Sequencing: Advances and Challenges
• Transgenic Plants for Improved Crop Traits
• Investigating the Genetics of Plant Pathogen Resistance
• CRISPR-Cas12b System: Advancements in Precision Plant Genome Editing
• Investigating Epigenetic Changes in Plants Exposed to Environmental Stress
• Genetic Markers for Assessing Biodiversity in Plant Populations
• Transcriptomics: Studying Gene Expression Patterns in Plants under Abiotic Stress
• 15. Investigating the Epigenetic Inheritance of Adaptive Traits in Plant Evolution

Plant Ecology

• Biodiversity Hotspots: Plant Species Richness in Different Ecosystems
• Impact of Invasive Plant Species on Native Ecosystems
• Ecological Significance of Plant-Pollinator Interactions
• Plant Community Dynamics in Successional Habitats
• The Role of Plants in Carbon Sequestration
• Urban Green Spaces: Assessing Plant Diversity in Cities
• Edible Forests: Sustainable Agriculture in Agroforestry Systems
• Alpine Plant Adaptations to Harsh Climatic Conditions
• The Impact of Climate Change on Plant Distribution
• Studying Plant-Soil Feedbacks in Natural Habitats
• Fire Adaptations in Plant Communities: Studying Post-Fire Succession
• Microclimates in Urban Environments: Impact on Plant Species Distribution
• The Role of Plants in Carbon Sequestration in Wetland Ecosystems
• Assessing the Ecological Impact of Invasive Aquatic Plant Species
• Ecosystem Services Provided by Plant Diversity in Agricultural Landscapes

Plant Physiology

• Investigating Photosynthetic Pathways in C3 and C4 Plants
• Stomatal Regulation: Adapting to Environmental Conditions
• Water Transport in Plants: From Roots to Leaves
• Hormonal Regulation of Plant Growth and Development
• Understanding Plant Responses to Light: Photomorphogenesis
• Investigating Plant Senescence: The Aging Process
• Osmotic Stress in Plants: Mechanisms of Adaptation
• Plant Nutrient Uptake: From Soil to Cells
• Plant Biomechanics: How Plants Respond to Mechanical Stress
• The Role of Plant Secondary Metabolites in Defense Mechanisms
• Investigating the Role of Plant Hormones in Stomatal Closure
• Light Signal Perception: How Plants Respond to Different Light Wavelengths
• Water Use Efficiency in Cacti: A Study of Osmotic Adjustments
• Analyzing the Impact of Mechanical Stress on Plant Growth Hormones
• Investigating the Metabolic Pathways of Secondary Metabolites in Plants

Ethical Use of Plants

• Sustainable Harvesting of Medicinal Plants: Balancing Conservation and Utilization
• Ethical Considerations in Plant Genetic Engineering
• Fair Trade Practices in the Plant-Based Industry
• Indigenous Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights in Ethnobotany
• Plant Conservation Ethics: Protecting Endangered Species
• Cultural Perspectives on Plant Use: A Global Comparison
• Organic Farming Practices: Enhancing Soil Health and Plant Nutrition
• Balancing Economic Development and Plant Biodiversity Conservation
• Plant-Based Products: Navigating Ethical Consumer Choices
• Ethical Considerations in Herbal Medicine Research
• Ethical Considerations in the Global Trade of Medicinal Plants
• Indigenous Ecological Knowledge: Integrating Traditional Practices in Conservation
• Plant Conservation and Indigenous Rights: A Collaborative Approach
• Sustainable Practices in Wild Harvesting of Medicinal Plants
• Ethical Marketing of Plant-Based Products: Transparency and Consumer Trust

Plant Anatomy and Morphology

• Comparative Anatomy of Different Plant Tissues
• Trichomes: Their Structure and Functions in Plant Defense
• Investigating Leaf Venation Patterns in Dicot vs. Monocot Plants
• Xylem and Phloem Structure: Transport Systems in Plants
• Floral Morphology: Adaptations for Pollination
• Stem Modifications in Succulent Plants
• Root Nodules in Leguminous Plants: Anatomical Insights
• Comparative Study of Plant Epidermal Structures
• Wood Anatomy: Growth Rings and Environmental Signals
• Investigating Adaptive Leaf Modifications in Desert Plants
• Investigating Trichome Density as an Indicator of Plant Stress
• Leaf Morphology and Water Use Efficiency in Different Plant Species
• Xylem and Phloem Transport in Succulent Plants: Anatomical Insights
• Exploring Floral Morphology in Orchids: Adaptations for Specific Pollinators
• Stem Anatomy in Climbing Plants: Mechanisms for Vertical Growth

Plant Pathology

• Fungal Pathogens in Agricultural Crops: Identification and Management
• Viral Diseases in Ornamental Plants: Epidemiology and Control
• Bacterial Pathogens and Plant Immune Responses
• Understanding Resistance Mechanisms in Genetically Modified Plants
• Nematode Infestations in Crop Plants: Strategies for Control
• Emerging Plant Diseases: Investigating Causes and Solutions
• Phytophthora Infestations in Forest Ecosystems: Impact and Management
• The Role of Endophytic Microorganisms in Plant Disease Resistance
• Biocontrol Agents: Using Beneficial Microbes to Manage Plant Pathogens
• Integrated Pest Management in Sustainable Agriculture
• Investigating Plant Immune Responses to Emerging Viral Pathogens
• Impact of Climate Change on Nematode Infestations in Crop Plants
• Plant Disease Surveillance: Early Detection and Prevention Strategies
• Investigating Endophytic Microorganisms as Biocontrol Agents in Agriculture
• Sustainable Approaches to Integrated Pest Management in Greenhouse Farming

Plant Reproduction

• Pollination Mechanisms in Orchid Species
• Seed Dispersal Strategies in Wind-Pollinated Plants
• Investigating Floral Scent Chemistry and Reproductive Success
• The Role of Mycorrhizal Fungi in Orchid Reproduction
• Comparative Study of Asexual and Sexual Reproduction in Plants
• Flowering Time Control: Genetic Mechanisms and Environmental Factors
• Investigating Self-Pollination vs. Cross-Pollination in Plant Species
• Seed Dormancy and Germination: Factors Influencing Plant Life Cycle
• Gametophyte Development in Mosses: A Comparative Analysis
• Investigating Apomixis in Plants: Asexual Seed Production
• Floral Morphogenesis: Genetic Control of Petal and Sepal Development
• Investigating the Role of Nectar Chemistry in Pollinator Attraction
• Hybrid Seed Production: Challenges and Opportunities in Agriculture
• Symbiotic Relationships between Plants and Mycorrhizal Fungi
• The Impact of Environmental Factors on Seed Germination Timing

Plant Evolution

• Evolutionary Adaptations in Carnivorous Plants
• Paleobotany: Studying Ancient Plant Fossils
• Comparative Genomics in Plant Evolutionary Studies
• Evolutionary Significance of Plant Secondary Metabolites
• Investigating Evolutionary Relationships in Plant Families
• Evolution of C4 Photosynthesis in Grasses
• Coevolution of Plants and Their Pollinators
• Adaptive Radiation in Island Plant Species
• Evolution of Plant Sex Determination Mechanisms
• Evolutionary Consequences of Polyploidy in Plants
• Plant Evolution in Anthropogenic Landscapes: Human-Induced Selection Pressures
• Molecular Clocks in Plant Evolution: Estimating Divergence Times
• Evolutionary Adaptations in Halophytic Plants: Surviving Saline Environments
• Investigating Coevolutionary Patterns Between Plants and Herbivores
• Paleoclimate Reconstruction Using Plant Fossil Records: Insights into Environmental Changes

Plant Biotechnology

• Genetic Engineering for Increased Crop Yield
• Investigating the Use of Plant Tissue Culture in Cloning
• CRISPR-Cas12a System for Precise Plant Genome Editing
• Metabolic Engineering of Plants for Biofuel Production
• Developing Transgenic Plants for Enhanced Nutrient Content
• Plant-Microbe Interactions in Bioremediation Processes
• Nanotechnology Applications in Plant Biotechnology
• RNA Interference (RNAi) for Pest Control in Agriculture
• Synthetic Biology Approaches in Plant Engineering
• Application of Plant Biotechnology in Phytoremediation
• CRISPR-Cas Systems beyond Cas12a: Emerging Genome Editing Technologies
• Epigenome Editing in Plants: Controlling Gene Expression without DNA Alteration
• Using Plant-Microbe Interactions for Enhanced Nutrient Uptake
• Smart Nanomaterials for Controlled Release of Plant Growth Regulators
• Exploring the Potential of RNA-Based Vaccines for Plant Pathogen Control

These diverse botany research topics aim to inspire high school students to delve into the intriguing world of botany, fostering a deeper understanding of plant sciences and encouraging a passion for research.

In conclusion, our Botany research blog strives to cultivate a deeper appreciation for the marvels of plant life. From the microscopic intricacies to the vast ecological tapestry, we’ve explored the forefront of Botany’s ever-evolving landscape. As we continue to unravel the secrets of the green world, we invite you to stay connected for future discoveries and insights. Whether you’re a scientist, student, or plant enthusiast, our journey into Botany’s depths aims to inspire and foster a profound understanding of the integral role plants play in shaping our planet.

1. What makes botany research topics suitable for high school students?

Botany research topics offer a hands-on approach to learning, fostering critical thinking and practical skills. Engaging in these topics enhances academic growth and opens doors to future career opportunities in various scientific fields.

2. How can high school students access resources for botany research?

High school students can access resources like laboratory facilities, online databases, and botanical gardens. Collaborating with teachers and leveraging educational platforms enriches the research experience. Seek guidance, utilize available tools, and explore the vast world of botany research topics.

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43 Botany Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best botany topic ideas & essay examples, 📝 simple & easy botany essay titles, ⭐ interesting topics to write about botany.

• Botany and Taxonomy of the Onion Even today the wild onions grow in Central Asia that is said to be the place of origin of the entire family of onions.
• The Royal Botanic Garden Visitors to the Gardens have a variety of activities to carry out from walking around the beautiful pavements to learning the culture of the Aboriginal people.
• The Botanical Evidence: The General Description and the Analysis The variability in the distribution of this plant presents a difficulty in determining the location of the body. The weed found in the victim’s hair is of the Bluebunch Wheatgrass species.
• Botany: The Beavertail Cactus Phylum Angiospermae is known to dominate the land because it consists of the highest number of species in the kingdom Plantae. Beavertail cactus exhibits several structural modifications in the leaves, stems, roots and flowers.
• Cloning of Plants at the Botanic Garden Cloning is now considered to be an efficient means to grow plants in being the result of vegetative propagation while seeds are the result of the natural reproductive phenomenon of plants.
• Oceanography, Botany and Biology: Interconnection and Development Man’s weight in the equilibrium is determined by such things as the number of fishermen, the efficiency of their gear, the wages that a fisherman is willing to work for, the price the public is […]
• The Royal Botanical Garden, KEW It houses the Wakehurst place gardens and runs the KEW Gardens in Sussex. It is a virtual store house of knowledge and caters to the needs of the different sections of the society.
• Botany and Zoology in the Classroom What are the Purposes of the Botany and Zoology Areas in the Classroom? The role of a teacher is to prepare botany and zoology areas.
• Algorithmic Botany, Biological Modelling, and Visualization Software Links
• Catalyzing Botany Research With RNA-Seq
• Melatonin: Current Status and Future Perspectives in Botany
• Laboratory Microprobe X-Ray Fluorescence in Botany: Emerging Applications and Case Studies
• Botany and the Floral Industry Dependence
• The Choice Between MapMan and Gene Ontology for Automated Gene Function Prediction in Botany
• Botany: Sequencing of Wheat Genome Could Lead to a Breadier Future
• Forensic Botany and Its Applications
• Molecular and Applied Botany Differences
• Botany: Plant Science From Cell Biology to Ecosystems
• Botany and Agriculture in Western Europe, 1350–1850
• Reshaping Botany: Qualitative and Quantitative Descriptors for Plant Morphology
• The Basis for New Discoveries and Findings in Botany
• Considerations for Designing Chemical Screening Strategies in Botany
• Standards and Guidelines for Forensic Botany Identification
• Botany: The Nature of Carnivorous Plants
• Botany Expertise Importance for Addressing Challenging Problems
• Lessons Learnt Relevant to the Botany of the Crop After 21 Years of Banana Genetic Enhancement
• Callus, Dedifferentiation, Totipotency, Somatic Embryogenesis: What These Terms Mean in the Era of Molecular Botany?
• The Need for Post-publication Peer Review in Botany Publishing
• Investigating the Arabidopsis Thaliana Botany
• The Potential and Growth of a Botany
• The Counter-Manipulation Between Humans and Marijuana Depicted in Michael Pollan’s Book the Botany of Desire
• Botany: Definition, History, Branches, & Facts
• Gene Regulatory Network Inference: Connecting Botany and Mathematical Modeling
• Forensic Botany as a Key Science for Lawyers and Historians
• Hardwood Tree Genomics: Unlocking Woody Botany
• Traditional Usages, Botany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Toxicology of Polygonum Multiflorum Thunb
• Economic Botany: Plants as Sources of Economic Products
• What Sedated Plants Can Teach Botany Experts and Scientists About Anesthetizing People?
• Post Transcriptional Gene Silencing in Botany
• Phosphoproteomics Technologies and Applications in Botany
• Deubiquitylating Enzymes and Their Emerging Role in Botany
• Botany: Using Plant Evidence to Aid in Forensic Death Investigation
• Biodiversity Research Topics
• Coral Reef Essay Topics
• Endangered Species Questions
• Oceanography Research Ideas
• Corn Paper Topics
• Biochemistry Research Topics
• Cannabis Essay Titles
• Marijuana Ideas
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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150 Actual Biology Research Paper Topics

Table of contents

• 1 What Is Biology? What Topics Might Biologists Study?
• 2 How to Choose a Topic for Biology Research Paper?
• 3.1 15 Developmental Biology Topics For Research
• 3.2 15 Immune System Biology Research Topics
• 3.3 15 Cell Biology Research Topics
• 3.4 15 DNA Research Topics
• 3.5 15 Molecular Biology Research Topics
• 3.6 15 Neurobiology Research Topics
• 3.7 15 Abortion, Human cloning, and Genetic Researches Topics
• 3.8 15 Environmental and Ecology Topics for Your Research
• 3.9 15 Plant Pathology Biology Research Topics
• 3.10 15 Animals Biology Research Topics
• 3.11 15 Marine Biology Research Topics
• 3.12 15 Zoology Research Topics
• 3.13 15 Genetics Research Topics
• 3.14 15 Biotechnology Research Topics
• 3.15 15 Evolutionary Biology Research Topics

Biology is one of the most magnetic fields of study these days. If you want to be a biologist or scientist in the future, there is no better time to start than right now. Biology research topics covered in this article will keep you busy and interested. Writing a research paper is one of the best ways to dip your toes into the field. Before doing that, you need to know some good topics for the research paper . They should be suitable for biology students rather than cutting-edge researchers. On Papersowl.com , we provide as many biology research paper examples as possible so that you have a huge choice.

What Is Biology? What Topics Might Biologists Study?

Biology is simply the study of everything that has a form of life. It includes investigations on plants, animals, and everything found in the environment. It is about studying how life forms grow, develop, and interact with each other. Biology essay topics for research encompass all these and more.

This science uncovers many fields where various life forms are studied. It makes sense to look through these fields to help you decide which suits you the best.

Plant Biology research topics are about studying the plants around us. They disclose information about their existence as a part of the ecosystem, their life cycle, resources they can give us, their ability to preserve them from climate changes, and so on. There are many ideas to choose from, but you must focus on a specific one.

Human Biology research topics are all about us. These topics focus on different body parts, such as the human brain, the human immunological system, the nervous system, etc. In addition, you can discuss DNA modifications in humans and explain why genetic disorders occur in your research projects. Various cell research is also common today.

Biology research topics on the environment are in great demand too. For example, climate change is becoming a more significant threat every day. By studying environmental topics in biology for projects and research, we can come up with ways to combat them and preserve ecosystems.

Microbiology research topics delve into things we can’t see. There are trillions of microbes and bacteria all around us. Knowing about them is essential to understanding what makes us sick and how to fight against them. All microbiology research paper topics are pretty complicated yet very engaging to include in your paper research.

Molecular biology topics dive even deeper into the level of atoms and molecules. The various medicines and drugs we take were all created through molecular-biology research. It is one of the areas full of ideas, but there is yet to be much evidence. Science is advancing in this realm but still needs a lot of time. Topics of molecular biology will need days for research only.

Keep in mind that there are more ideas and variations of this science. We offer more examples in further sections of the article about developmental biology, marine biology, evolutionary biology, etc. Explore them and make your writing appealing and meaningful in the eyes of a professor.

How to Choose a Topic for Biology Research Paper?

When choosing a biology project topic, you must be aware of one or more fields of science. Biology research is critical to the present world. By doing research, we can learn more about genetic disorders, immune disorders, mental health, natural disease resistance, etc. Knowing about each of these could save lives in the future.

For those who may not have the time or resources to do their own research, there are research paper writing services that can provide assistance with the project. And we are always here to help you find your own topic among interesting biology research topics. Here we prepared some useful tips to follow.

• Tip 1: The level of interest matters Pay attention to one that interests you, and you might have ideas on how to develop the topic. Passion is fundamental in research, after all.
• Tip 2: Explore the topic Try to narrow things down a bit. If the topic is too broad, you may not be able to cover all aspects of it in one research paper. If it is too narrow, the paper could end up too short. Analyze the topic and the ways to approach it. By doing so, you can strike a balance between the two.
• Tip 3: Discover the recent developments To make your research paper touchable with the present day, you must explore the latest developments in the field. You can find out what kind of research has been done recently by looking at journals. Check out research papers, topics, research articles, and other sources.
• Tip 4: Ensure to get enough resources When choosing a topic, make sure it has plenty of resources available. For example, a research paper on xenobiology or cutting-edge nanobiology might sound attractive. Still, you might have difficulties getting data and resources for those unless you are a researcher at a government lab. Data, resources, complex numbers, and statistics are all invaluable to writing a paper about these topics.

That is why we have selected a range of biological topics. The topics on this list are all hopefully exciting topics for research you could write an excellent paper on. We should also add that easy biology topics to research are rare, and a writer usually needs days to prepare and start writing. Yes, biology research topics for high school students are a bit easier, but still, they need time to explore them.

On the other hand, biology research topics for college students are far more complex and detailed. Some people prefer evolutionary biology research paper topics, and we can agree with this claim. These research areas do have a lot of potential and a lot of data to support the claims. Others prefer cell biology research topics that are a bit specific and fun. Anyway, with this article’s list of easy biology research topics, you will surely find the one matching your interest.

For those who may not have the time or resources to do their own research, there are provide assistance with the project.

Top Research Biology Paper Topics

This section contains a large selection of research biology paper topics. You will be able to find one that will suit you the best. The only thing left is to decide what variation of science you prefer. Whether you’re interested in microbiology, genetics, or any other type of science, you’ll find a topic to get you started. If you’re ever stuck or need some extra help, you can always pay someone to write your paper for you. So, take a look, and choose the perfect topic for your project!

15 Developmental Biology Topics For Research

Exploring the processes of how cells grow and develop is exciting. The human body contains millions of cells, and it’s interesting to research their behavior under different conditions. If you feel like writing about it, you can find some interesting biology topics below.

• How do stem cells form different tissues?
• How are tumors formed?
• Duplication of genomes
• Plasticity of development
• Different birth defects
• Interactions between genes and the environment
• Anticancer drugs mixtures
• Developmental diseases: Origin
• Drosophila Oogenesis
• Most deadly viruses
• Most deadly bacteria in the world
• How do germs affect cells?
• How does leukemia start?
• Development of the cardiovascular system in children
• How do autoimmune diseases start and affect the human body?

15 Immune System Biology Research Topics

For decades, many scientists and immunologists have studied the human immune system and tried to explain its reaction to various pathogens. This area allows you to deepen into it and reveal how a body protects itself from harmful impact. Look over the biology research questions below and find your match-up.

• How does the human body’s immune system work?
• The human immune system: How to strengthen it?
• What makes the immunological system weaker?
• The notion of auto-immune diseases and their effect on the body’s immune system
• The global HIV/aids epidemic
• What methods are used to prevent the spread of hives?
• Living with auto-immune diseases
• Genetics and the immune system: effects and consequences
• How do immune disorders affect the body, and what causes them?
• Are allergies signs of worrying about an immune disorder?
• DNA modification in solving immune disorders
• Stress as the biggest ruiner of the immunological system
• Vaccines as strong supporters of the immunological system
• The perception of vaccines in society
• Why do some people refuse vaccines and put others around them in danger?

15 Cell Biology Research Topics

Cell study might seem challenging yet very engaging. It will be a good idea to compare various types of cells and compare them in animals and plants. Make your choice from the list of cell biology research topics below.

• The structure of an animal cell
• Mitochondria and its meaning in cell development
• Cells classification and their functions
• Red blood cells and their function in transporting oxygen
• White blood cells and their responsibility to fight diseases
• How are plant cells different from animal cells?
• What would it be if animals had a function to photosynthesize?
• Single-celled organisms: What is it, and how do they work?
• What processes do cells go through in division?
• Invasion of bacteria into the body
• Viruses – alive or not?
• Fungi: their reproduction and distribution
• Cancer cells: Why are they so dangerous?
• What methods are used to kill cancer cells?
• The role of stem cells and their potential in a body

15 DNA Research Topics

The variety of biology research topics for college students might impress you a lot. This is a science with a large field of investigation, disclosing much scientific information to use in your project. The notion of DNA and its gist are also excellent options to write about.

• The structure of the human DNA
• The main components of a DNA chain
• Why does DNA have a double-helix spiral structure?
• The purpose of chromosomes
• MRNA and its relation to DNA
• Do single-celled organisms have DNA?
• Do viruses have DNA?
• What happens if you have too many or too few chromosomes?
• Analyzing the structure of DNA using computers
• Uses for the DNA of extinct organisms like mammoths and dinosaurs
• Storing non-genetic information in DNA
• Can you write a computer program into human DNA?
• How does radiation affect DNA?
• Modifying DNA to treat aids
• Can we fight cancer through DNA modification?

15 Molecular Biology Research Topics

Do you prefer to research molecules’ chemical and physical composition? We gathered some molecular biology research topics to make your choice easier.

• The structure and components of a gene
• How do molecules move in and out of a cell?
• The basic building blocks of life
• How are drugs designed for humans?
• How is a vaccine designed to target a specific disease?
• Dominant genes vs. recessive genes
• Prion disease – why is it so dangerous?
• Hormones and their function in the body
• Developing artificial hormones from other animals
• How to carry out a western blot?
• Testing and analyzing DNA using PCR
• The three-dimensional structure of a molecule
• What is DNA transcription, and how is it used?
• The structure of a prion
• What is the central dogma of molecular biology?

15 Neurobiology Research Topics

The more you dive into science, the more exciting things you find. That’s about biology. Here, you can choose biology research topics for high school and try to reveal more simply.

• Nervous system: its structure and function
• Neurons as unique cells playing a central role in the nervous system
• What is the maximum reaction speed in a human?
• Reaction speed: how to improve it?
• Research on Organic Farming
• What are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease?
• Why do we feel happy or sad?
• Headaches in terms of Neurobiology
• What are the reasons for neurobiological degeneration?
• Myths and reality of Amnesia
• What causes Alzheimer’s Disease, and what are the consequences of the disease?
• What is the treatment for Spinal Cord Injury?
• Studies on Narcolepsy and Insomnia: What are the causes?
• Is there a connection between Mental Health and Neurobiology?
• Emotions in terms of their reflection in the brain

15 Abortion, Human cloning, and Genetic Researches Topics

There are so many scientific researches and theories that society accepts or neglects. You can operate different notions and try to explain them, reflecting their advantages and downsides for a human being. We gathered some enticing life science research topics for high school students that might interest you.

• The controversy around abortion: legal or not?
• Can abortion be safe?
• Human cloning – reality vs. science-fiction
• The goals of cloning humans
• Are human cloning and transplantation ethical?
• Having a “perfect child” through gene therapy: Is it a myth?
• How far has gene therapy gone in genetic research?
• Advantages and disadvantages of gene therapy
• How gene therapy can help beat cancer
• How gene therapy can eliminate diabetes
• The opportunity to edit genes by CRISPR
• DNA modifications in humans to enhance our abilities – an ethical dilemma
• Will expensive gene therapy widen the gap between the rich and the poor?
• Cloning: the good and the Bad for a Generation
• The disadvantages of cloning
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15 Environmental and Ecology Topics for Your Research

The nature around us is so enormous and includes many branches to investigate. If you are keen on the environment and how ecology affects it, the list of follow-up biology paper topics might be helpful to you.

• The theory of evolution
• How does natural selection work?
• How do living organisms adapt to their environment?
• The concept of divergent and convergent evolution
• Building a sustainable environment
• Development of environment-friendly cities
• How to control population growth?
• Why have recycling resources become so essential in the modern world?
• The effect of plastic on the environment
• What are the global consequences of deforestation?
• What can we expect when losing biodiversity?
• Ecological damage: How to prevent it?
• How can GMO products affect ecology?
• Cloning endangered or extinct species: Is it a good idea?
• Is climate change the main reason for disrupting ecology?

15 Plant Pathology Biology Research Topics

Many factors impact human health and the quality of food products matters. These easy biology research topics will be useful if you want to describe the connection between those two concepts.

• How do plants protect themselves from diseases?
• How to increase the plant’s resistance to diseases?
• Diseases distribution among plants
• The banana pandemic
• How do herbicides influence plants?
• Corn blight
• Can any plant diseases affect humans?
• The issue of stem rust and its impact on wheat
• What approaches are used to struggle against invasive plants and affected weeds?
• Fertilizers: their pros and cons on plants
• Plant disease genetics: its system and structure
• What is the connection between ecological changes and plant diseases?
• Modifications on food production because of plant diseases
• How do fungal and viral diseases appear in plants?
• The sweet potato virus

15 Animals Biology Research Topics

It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like animals. If you are curious about animals scientifically, here you are with biology research paper topics in this field.

• Classification of animals
• Land-based life: its evolution history
• Controversies about keeping animals as pets
• Is it ethical to test drugs and products on animals?
• Why do nature reserves against zoos?
• Evidence on prehistoric aquatic animals growing giant
• What species of animals are vegan?
• Animals and their social behavior
• Primate behavior
• How intelligent can other primates be?
• Are wolves and dogs intelligent?
• Domesticating animals
• Hibernation in animals
• Why animals migrate
• Should we bring back extinct animals?

15 Marine Biology Research Topics

The marine theme is engaging as it reveals so many interesting facts about life forms dwelling under the water. You can make your paper look captivating using biology topics in marine below.

• How acidification affects aquatic environments
• Evolution in the deep sea
• What’s the meaning of camouflage mechanism in sea life?
• Consequences of oil spills on marine life
• Oldest marine species
• How do whales communicate with each other?
• How blind fish navigate
• Are marine shows and aquariums ethical?
• The biology and life cycle of seabirds
• How jellyfish are immortal
• Plankton ecology
• Difference between freshwater and seawater marine life
• Coral reefs: their importance and evolution
• Saving and restoring coral reefs
• Life in the deep-sea ocean trenches

15 Zoology Research Topics

Zoology can be an excellent choice to write about if you are close to animal studies. Look at biology topics to research and choose the one that fits your interest most.

• Asian elephants and human speech patterns
• Oyster genomes and adaptation
• Darwin’s work in the Galápagos Islands
• Asian carp: Invasive species analysis
• Giant squids: Fact vs. fiction
• Coyote and wolf hybrid species in the United States
• Parasites and disease
• Migration patterns of killer bees
• The treatment of species in Melville’s Moby Dick
• Biodiversity and plankton
• The role of camels and the development of Africa and the Middle East
• Muskellunge and adaptive creek mechanisms to small water
• Ants and cooperative behavior among species
• Animal communication and the origin of language
• Speech in African Gray Parrots

15 Genetics Research Topics

Writing about modifications caused on the gene level is pretty challenging but very fascinating. You can select one among the biological questions for research and bring up a meaningful paper.

• Genetics and its role in cancer studies
• Can genetic code be confidential?
• Is it possible to choose the sex of a person before birth?
• Genetics as a ray of hope for children with an intellectual disability
• What factors in human genetics affect behavior?
• Is it somehow possible to improve human personality through genetics?
• Are there any living cells in the gene?
• Fighting HIV with gene mutations
• Genetic mutations
• How addictive substances affect genes
• Genetic testing: is it necessary?
• Cloning: positive or negative outcome for future generations
• Pros and cons of genetic engineering
• Is the world ready for the bioethics revolution?
• The linkage between genetics and obesity

15 Biotechnology Research Topics

The way scientists conduct research today is magnificent. Implementing high-tech innovations in biology research brings new opportunities to study the world. What are these opportunities? Explore biotechnology research topics for college students and disclose the best options for you.

• Biotechnology used in plant research
• What is the contribution of biotechnology to food?
• Pharmacogenetics: What is it, and how it works?
• How are anti-cancer drugs produced to be effective?
• Nanotechnology in DNA: How to isolate it?
• Recent nanotechnology used in HIV treatment
• What biotech apps are used to detect foodborne pathogens in food systems?
• Genotypes research: Why are they tolerant and sensitive to heavy metal?
• High-tech solutions in diagnosing cancer
• Forensic DNA and its latest developments
• Metabolic changes at the level of cells
• Nanotechnology in improving treatments for respiratory viruses
• The latest biotech discoveries
• Digital evolution: bioresearch and its transformation
• The concept of vaccine development

15 Evolutionary Biology Research Topics

Knowing how life forms started their existence is fundamental. And more interesting is to look through the evolution of many processes. If you find this trend of research more engaging, we outlined evolutionary biology research paper topics to diversify your choice.

• Darwin’s concept’s impact on science
• The evolution concept by Lamarck
• Origins of the evolutionary theory
• Evolution acceptance: a belief vs. a theory?
• Evolutionary in microbiology
• Development of robotics
• Revealing differences: human brain & animal brain
• Preservation of biological resources
• Transformations in aging
• Adaptive genetic system
• Morphometrics’ history
• Developmental theory and population genomics
• Bacteria ecology’s evolution
• Biological changes: impact and evolution
• Infectious diseases and their profession

The world of science and biology is vast, making research tedious. Use our list of interesting biology research topics to choose the best issue to write your own paper.

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The Ultimate Compilation of Unique Biology Research Paper Topics

Studying biology is essential for us to comprehend the intricacies of life. That is why students are often asked to research the subject. One of the most important parts of this process is choosing the right topic about biology.

Speaking of which, if you’re struggling to pick one, don’t worry as this blog post is meant to provide you with some great options. These research ideas are certain to get you on the right track for writing a paper like the professional  paper writing services  providers. So, let’s get started!

Table of Contents

5 Top Biology Research Topics with Thesis Statements

If you are in a hurry, you can go with any of these five biological research topics. Each has a thesis statement to get you started right away.

300 Amazing Biology Research Topics to Help You Score an A+

Having a quality topic is the foundation of any successful research project. It’s like a roadmap that leads you to uncover all the amazing knowledge about the subject.

We’ve handpicked the following topics to ensure you go beyond the basics in your biology research. Let’s get started!

Research Topics on the History of Biology

If you’re looking to explore the history of biology, you’ve got tons of ideas to choose from. Here’s the list:

• Philosophy and Biology: Side by side chronicles
• Biology as contemporary in the beginning
• Mendelian biology: Dimensions and aspects
• Experimental Biology in the Age of Industrialization
• A historical overview of biology education in the USA
• The history of biology is divided into three major stages
• Pioneers of biology in ancient ages: Thales of Miletus, Anaximander, Pythagoras, Xenophanes of Colophon, and Parmenides of Elea
• Aristotle the Father of Zoology
• The Invention of the Microscope: Its Role in the Evolution of Biology
• Themes and breakthroughs that modern biology is based on
• Biology in Middle Ages
• Role of Muslim Scientists in the Development of Physiology and Biology
• Ibn Sina: The pioneer of modern medicine
• Francis Crick’s Central Dogma on the Flow of Information
• The Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance
• Mendel’s Laws
• Importance of the cell as the fundamental anatomical unit of all living organisms
• Robert Hooke: The first scientist to use the word “cell”
• Mathias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann: The scientists to declare the cell as the central entity of the anatomical structure
• The third postulate of the Cell Theory
• Classification of organisms, animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms
• Evolution in biology
• History of molecular biology
• Ronald Fisher: Works in Genetics and Mathematics
• Wallace and Darwin: discoverers of evolution
• Von Humboldt: as the universal scientist and his dedication to biology
• Botany and the Consolidation of modern science
• Conceptual Biography of the Gene
• Aristotle, secretary of nature and pioneer of biology
• Darwin’s intellectual roots
• Genetic determinism and journalism
• History of Biology in the United States
• Biology in the last quarter century
• Biological research in the Middle Ages
• Milestones in the History of Biology
• The Microscope and the Expansion of Biology

Human Biology Research Topics

There’s so much to explore when it comes to human biology nowadays! Stem cells and cloning are two of the most fascinating topics out there. Here are some other biological topics for research: 

• Human Health: Clinical analysis, human reproduction, nutrition, handling of instruments
• Research, development, and control of biotechnological processes
• Teaching and transmission/dissemination of knowledge in Biology both to future professionals and to society in general
• All those activities that are related to Biology collect the new activities that continually emerge and will do so in the future
• Genetic Studies and their Application
• Nature and control of their action: Study of biological products
• Global warming and pollution: evaluation of reproductive and developmental toxicity.
• Role of ketone bodies in the control of metabolism: focus on the fatty organ
• Bioactive Food Components as Modulators of mitochondrial function in Autism
• Identification, expression, and functional characterization of tRNA-derived stress-induced RNAs produced by angiogenin in human skin cell lines
• Development of a hybrid system: antimicrobial peptides / ceramic nanoparticles active against oral pathogens.
• Metabolism and process optimization in algal flours for food
• Transcriptional role of PARP1 in skin cancers.
• Evaluation of the role of the High-Temperature Requirement A1 serine protease (HtrA1) in osteochondral tissues
• Development of in vitro cell models for the study of human microbiota interactions and bone remodeling
• Study of molecules involved in the central regulation of the energy balance
• Evaluation of anti-inflammatory molecules to combat obesity and related diseases
• Diagnosis of gestational diseases such as Preeclampsia and Gestational Diabetes

Neurobiology Research Topics

If you are more interested in delving into the complexities of neurobiology, here’s the list of topics to consider for  writing your research paper .

• Strong receptors in females for higher pain perception
• Purinergic Contribution to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Non-motor behavioral phenotypes: effect of age and gender
• The deficit in attachment behavior in mice lacking the mu-opioid receptor gene
• Parkinson’s disease and related syndromes
• Therapeutic interventions or new drugs to prevent pathological brain aging or slow down the evolution of proven pathologies
• Contributions of innovative technologies for the compensation of handicaps affecting language and memory
• Action semantic disorders in neurodegenerative pathologies affecting the motor system
• Sensory-motor processing and plasticity
• Neural Circuits & Behavior
• Homeostasis, Perception, and States
• Development & Evolution of the Neural Crest
• Code neuronal & perception auditive
• Neurogenetics of Drosophila
• Molecular evolution of the transcriptome and genome of cave-dwelling Astyanax
• Developmental evolution of the brain of cave-dwelling Astyanax
• Neuronal and synaptic functions and development
• Aging, neurodegenerative diseases, and other neurological disorders
• Mental Health and Addiction
• Pain, inflammation, trauma, and brain repair
• Vision and cognitive neuroscience
• Evaluative research on neurological disorders
• Clinical evaluation and treatment of neurological disorders

Evolutionary Biology Research Topics

Certainly, studying evolutionary processes could be quite an intriguing idea for your biology research. Here are some topics for you to look into: 

• Interactions between microorganisms – environment, ecotoxicology
• Symbiotic relationships
• Chemistry and biology of microbial metabolites
• Diversity and evolutionary history of microorganisms
• Cyanobacteria, Cyanotoxins, and Environment
• Parasites and Free Protists
• Chemistry of Fungal Natural Products 
• Biochemistry of Microbial Interaction
• Are vaccines a godsend for germs?
• We are born with a musical brain
• Warm-blooded animals
• The origin of mental disorders
• The cerebellum, the first original organ in living things
• The surprising evolutionary success of oaks
• The origin of our instincts: the mark of evolution
• A new scenario of the conquest of continents by plants
• Sign languages: a better-understood history
• Evolution: the brain lobe that made us human
• When men colonized the peaks of Africa
• The Complex History of Cow Domestication
• The mutations of the theory of evolution
• Memory in survival mode
• The origin of green-blooded lizards 
• Cancer according to Darwin
• Evolution: networks rather than trees
• The real story of skin colors

Animals Biology Research Topics

If animal biology is something that spikes your interest, then picking up a topic from this list could be a good option. Here you go: 

• Role of Cystatin B in synaptic plasticity in the mammalian brain
• Contribution to the study of the quality of processed products, water used in dairy farms
• Monitoring the activities of water birds at the lake of the Zoological and Forest Park of Hann
• Agriculture, agronomy, welfare
• Animals for hunting, racing, and bullfighting
• Wild animals – Conservation
• Wildlife Behavior, ethology
• Animal rights: legal status, protection, regulations
• Importance of ethics in animal biology 
• Stunning and slaughter of animals
• Animal experimentation, alternative methods
• Sociology, social sciences involved in the animal sciences
• Animal welfare: ethics put to the test of economics
• Local initiatives to promote the protection of nature and the well-being of animals
• Livestock farming is a sharing of meaning between humans and animals
• Ethology and conservation of animal species
• Dogs and the environment: observation and treatment of some undesirable behaviors
• The contribution of Konrad Lorenz to the study of animal behavior
• Bioethics and legal regime of free and captive wild animals
• From the diversity of legal protections for animals to the search for the status of animality
• Reasoning structures in a developmental neurobiology laboratory: a study from a cognitive ecology perspective
• Evolutionary biology, systematics, biogeography, and conservation biology of Insects
• Animal ecology, behavioral ecology, management and conservation of animal populations
• Conservation biology and identification of conservation priorities
• Genetic and systematic structure and molecular evolution in animal taxa of the Mediterranean area
• Evolutionary biology, biogeography, and taxonomy of underground arthropods
• Evolutionary and ecological Aspects in Crustaceans
• Biology and eco-ethology of Formicides
• Evolutionary Biology of Bone Fish
• Microevolution and speciation in rodents
• Comparative neurobiology

Anatomy Research Topics in Biology

Exploring the human body is interesting! Here’s a list of topics you can research about specific organs or body parts. 

• Directional terms and anatomical planes
• Types of body movements
• Major muscles of the upper limb
• Vascularization and innervation of the elbow and forearm
• Main muscles of the lower limb
• Vascularization and innervation of the leg and knee
• Abdominal wall muscles
• Sistema cardiovascular
• Liver Overview
• Scrotum and spermatic cord
• How to learn anatomy holistically
• Knowing the origin and organization of cells
• Supervised practical work in the autopsy room
• Understanding the fundamentals of cyton-histological techniques
• Analyze and diagnose images obtained in optical microscopy
• Relate the structure and functions of the cellular and extracellular components that make up human tissues
• Optical Microscope Study of Nervous Tissue
• Optical microscope study of muscle tissue
• Optical microscope study of the connective tissue
• Optical Microscope Study of the Epithelial Tissue
• Study of the cardiocirculatory system on preparations, reconstructions, and anatomical models.
• Study of the respiratory system on reconstructions, anatomical models, preparations, and imaging techniques.
• Study of the digestive system on reconstructions and anatomical models
• Study of the urinary system and the male and female genitalia on reconstructions and anatomical models
• Study of the endocrine glands on schemes and reconstructions
• Study of the rock and the orbit on the skull. Study of the sense of hearing in reconstructions and anatomical models
• Study of the sense of sight in reconstructions and anatomical models
• Study of the morphology and organization of the spinal cord, brainstem, and cerebellum on schemes and preparations
• Study of the morphology and organization of the diencephalon and the telencephalon on schemes and preparations
• Study Methods in Cytology and Histology
• Histological techniques of electron microscopy 
• Neuromuscular systems of the head and neck
• An osteoarticular substrate of the skull
• Osteoarticular substrate and muscles of the chest wall
• Irrigation of the Central Nervous System
• The overall study of the main nerve pathways
• Introduction to the Study of the Senses
• Anatomical study of the endocrine system as a whole
• Digestive system: Digestive tube and associated glands
• Respiratory system: Upper and lower respiratory tract

Botany Research Paper Topics

Are you up for writing a paper about plants? Check out some of the most recent discoveries in botany for ideas.

• Techniques and methods for the sustainable use, conservation, and restoration of ecosystems
• Inventory and characterization of biodiversity: flora, fauna, and fungi
• Carbon forms and cycles in the soil
• Endemic and threatened species
• Entomofauna of arid zones
• Effects of global change on Biodiversity and the Functioning of Ecosystems
• Mediterranean and arid ecosystems and habitats
• Popularization of mycology
• Distribution and abundance of species as indicators of global change
• Distribution of soils in the landscape
• Functional aspects of biodiversity
• Application of remote sensing and sig to the sustainable management of ecosystems
• Biotech crops more resistant to drought
• Botanical Resources
• Assessment of the natural environment and agroforestry management
• Plant Dynamics and Study of plant communities
• Plant Mapping and Restoration Models
• Restoration of vegetation in degraded spaces
• Pollen biology
• Aerobiology
• Evolution and Development
• Conservation Genetics and Phylogeography
• Molecular systematics in plants and fungi
• Urban Forests, Green Infrastructure, Urban Green Zones
• Mycology: Flora, vegetation, and autecology of lichenized fungi
• Ornamental flora, history of landscape and gardens
• The benefits of traditional knowledge about plants
• The fall of the leaves, conditioned by the flowering
• A new look at medicinal plants
• The root microbiota
• Lichens: environmental watchdogs
• The geometry of the seeds
• Genetic basis of seedless fruits
• Molecular control of pollination
• Applied forestry plumbing
• Genetics of mycorrhizal symbiosis
• Bryophytes in mountain streams
• Management of invasive plants 
• Pathogenic Fungi in the Jungle
• Molecular bases of flowering
• Fire and Evolution in the Mediterranean
• Gravitropism vs. Phototropism
• Red algae in the Mediterranean

Molecular Biology Research Topics

If molecular biology is your thing, then you should consider researching one of these topics:

• Role of mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAM) in cellular homeostasis
• Biology of myeloid cells
• Molecular Biology of Chromosomes
• Molecular Biology of Gametogenesis
• Molecular Parasitology Laboratory
• DNA Replication and Genome Integrity
• Chromosomal Dynamics in Meiosis
• Cell-Biomaterial Recognition
• Gene Expression and Gene Transfer in Bacteria
• Autophagy Laboratory
• Immunotherapy
• Innate immune memory: molecular mechanisms and applications
• Metabolism, Microbes, and Macrophages; a Liver Saga
• Lignocellulosic Biofuels for the Transportation Sector
• Identification and characterization of genes involved in response to cold stress
• The role of proteins of the MBF1 family in the stress-ripening interaction in tomato fruit

Behavior and Hormones Biology Research Topics

• Determination of reference values for the evaluation of thyroid function in sport equine breeds
• Ultrasound evaluation of the adrenal glands in dogs without clinical signs of adrenal pathology
• Application concentrations of biostimulant
• Systematization of growth tests in solid culture media for wildwood decomposing fungi 
• Immunomodulatory role of mineralocorticoid receptor activation by corticosterone
• Biology in Adolescence, a psychoanalytic perspective
• Comparative Analysis of HEK293 Cells in Culture and Adenovirus Production
• Hormones and neurotransmitters
• The chemistry of moods
• Memory and Mood Triggers: Anatomy of the Limbic System

Abortion, Human cloning, Genetic Researches Biology Topics

• The role of legal and social conditions in the trajectories and subjective experiences of women in the face of induced abortion
• The relationship between abortion and women living with HIV
• Induced abortion and its relationship with the marital status of women and age.
• The relationship between pregnancies resulting from sexual coercion and abortion
• The relationship of women with health services in different legal contexts
• The use of medical abortion in restrictive legal settings
• The impact of the secrecy and the illegality of the practice
• Reasons for abortion in developing countries
• Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
• Therapeutic cloning to create embryonic stem cells
• Reproductive cloning to create copies of whole animals
• Genetic cloning, to create copies of genes or segments of DNA
• How are genes cloned?
• How are animals cloned?
• Cloning of Wooly Mammoths
• Animals that scientists have cloned till now
• What are the possible applications of cloned animals?
• What are the possible harms of animal cloning?

Zoology Research Topics

Having trouble coming up with ideas for your zoology paper? Don’t worry, you can always count on the professional expertise of  our writers . We’ve also got a list of ideas that might help you out.

• Sustainable forest planning and Management
• Ancient forests
• Biological diversity
• Landscape structure
• Wildlife-habitat modeling
• Forest birds
• Forest ecology
• Animal communities
• Evolution of sexual dimorphism
• Integrated resource management
• Behavioral ecology
• Ecological immunology
• Defense mechanism
• Forest management, biodiversity, and tree demography
• Sustainable forest management
• Ecosystem functioning
• A Study of the malaria vector in African Countries
• Natural History of Terrestrial Amphibians and Reptiles
• Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles in Europe
• Amphibians of Central Africa and AngolaIllustrated Determination Key of the Amphibians of Gabon and Mbini
• Acoustic Ecology of European BatsIdentification of species
• Insects of Mount Wilhelm Papua New Guinea
• Atlas of wild mammals of the United States of America

Exploring the world of biology has plenty of potential for amazing discoveries. With this collection of unique research topics, there’s a gateway to endless possibilities. Ensure to pick an interesting subject to make a big contribution to the knowledge of life. Still, if you are having trouble tackling your research paper, order now so one of our experts could take care of it for you.

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• Climate Change Impacts
• Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Genetic Engineering Ethics
• Antibiotic Resistance
• Conservation of Endangered Species

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Botany Research Papers/Topics

Understanding current and potential distribution of australian acacia species in southern africa.

Abstract: This dissertation presents research on the value of using different sources of data to explore the factors determining invasiveness of introduced species. The research draws upon the availability of data on the historical trial plantings of alien species and other sources. The focus of the study is on Australian Acacia species as a taxon introduced into southern Africa (Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland). The first component of the study focused on understanding the factors deter...

Avian nectarivory and pollination in Aloe marlothii Berger : interactions between bird communities and a winter-flowering succulent

Abstract: Aloe marlothii is a winter-flowering succulent that is widespread in the savanna biome of northern and north-eastern South Africa. Plants grow up to 8 m in height and are commonly found on rocky north-facing slopes. Nectar production occurs through a 24 h period with flowers producing copious amounts (c. 250 µl) of dilute nectar (c. 12%). This abundant nectar supply, that is available for a 5-10 week period during June-August, is utilised by numerous opportunistic avian nectarivor...

Characteristics and affinities of the fynbos vegetation on Mariepskop, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract: Prior to this in-depth phytosociological classification and biogeographical study, the only other intense floristic study focussing on all plant species done specifically on Mariepskop was the work by Van der Schijff and Schoonraad (1971 The aims of the study were to: (1) describe and map the plant communities above 1800m at Mariepskop; (2) analyse the life forms in each community using Raunkiaer’s (1934) classification as modified by Mueller-Dombois and Ellenberg (1974) in order...

PROTOCOL OPTIMIZATION FOR IN VITRO PROPAGATION OF THREE SELECTED ENSET (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) VARIETIES; YANBULE, MESENA AND ENDALE THROUGH SHOOT TIP CULTURE

Abstract: Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Chessman) has socio-cultural, ethno-medicinal and economic use values. Nearly all enset genotypes are being threatened by bacterial wilt disease upon conventional propagation. Therefore, this research was designed to develop mass in vitro propagation protocol for three elite enset varieties from shoot tip explants. The experiment was laid out in CRD with three replications in factorial arrangement. Apart from ethanol (70%), sodium hypochlorite (NaO...

GREEN SYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES USING VERBENA OFFICINALIS L. ROOT EXTRACTS AND THEIR ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY AGAINST ESCHERCHIA COLI AND STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS

Abstract: Green nanoparticle synthesis techniques for various biological activities and medical applications are desired because of their bio-compatibilit. Hence, in this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized using root extracts (aqueous, methanol and hexane) of V.officinalis. The antibacterial efficacy of the nanoparticles was assayed by the Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method against bacterial pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The minimum inhibito...

THE ROLE OF NEEM (Azadirachta indica) SEED AND GARLIC (Allium sativum) BULB POWDERS AS BIO-PESTICIDES AGAINST ADULT MAIZE WEEVIL (Sitophilus zeamais Motsch.) IN STORED MAIZE

Abstract: Post-harvest losses are one of the major causes of food insecurity in the developing world. The present study was planned to investigate the effect of neemseed and garlic bulb powders in control of maize weevil and prolonged storage of maize grains. A 3x3x2 factorial experiment was laid in a Complete Randomized Design (CRD) replicated two times. The result indicated that all the treatments had shown high repellence against maize weevil at all amounts of treatments (5, 10, and 15 gr...

ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY ACROSS DIFFERENT LAND-USE TYPES IN JABI TEHNAN WOREDA WESTERN GOJAM, ETHIOPIA

Abstract: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are ubiquitous soil organisms. They form symbioses with majority of terrestrial plants and contributor to mineral and water uptake, plant biodiversity, productivity, ecosystem stability and function. However, AMF community structure and function are affected by land use and land cover changes. This necessitates the exploration of the AMF land- use change association within selected agro-ecosystems in the country. To this end, a site was selected a...

MICROPROPAGATION OF ENDOD (Phytolacca dodecandra) L ′Herit THROUGH LEAF CULTURE

Abstract: Endod (Phytolacca dodecandra L’Heit var. E-44 and E-17) is medicinal plant of high saponin content used as molluscicide to control Schistosomiasis. The aim of, this study was to develop a micropropagation protocol for P.dodecandra. The E17 and E44 variety leaf explant was sterilized and cultured on MS media supplemented with different types of concentration and combination of cytokinins and auxins for shoot initiation, multiplication and root initiation. Local bleach (Berekina) 3...

PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING FROM LEAVES OF DATURA STRAMONIUM L. AND JUSTICIA SCHIMPERIANA AND EVALUATION OF THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES AGAINST SELECTED HUMAN ENTERIC BACTERIA

Abstract: The growing phenomenon of antibiotic resistance, particularly to pathogenic microorganisms, in current medicine, has directed the concern of scientists for finding novel antimicrobial agents from plant origin with negligible side effect. The aim of this study was to screen the major secondary compounds of leaves of D. stramoinum and J. schimperiana and to evaluate their antimicrobial properties against (S. aureus, S. typhi and S. boydii). Extraction was done by maceration of leaf p...

PHYTOTOXICITY OF Lantana camara L. EXTRACTS AND SOIL FROM BENEATH ITS CANOPY ON CABBAGE (Brassica carinata A.)

Abstract: Lantana camara is an invasive weed species that has allelopathic effects on crops and other indigenous associated plants. Allelochemicals from such plants may also have positive or negative impact on soils. Therefore, the research was carried out to investigate the allelopathic effect of leaf extracts of Lantana camara and soils invaded by it on Brassica carinata. Leaf extracts of Lantana camara were prepared with water, hexane and methanol, while distilled water alone was used as ...

ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS USED BY PEOPLE OF GUMER WOREDA, GURAGE ZONE,SNNPR, ETHIOPIA

Abstract: Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by local people and associated indigenous knowledge was conducted in Gummer woreda, Gurage Zone, SNNPRS of Ethiopia. The purpose of this study was to investigate and document the traditional medicinal plants used by indigenous people of Gummer Woreda together with indigenous knowledge. Data collection tools were semi-structured interviews, field observations and group discussions. Descriptive statistics informant consensus factor, fidel...

ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS USED BY THE PEOPLE OF TARMABER DISTRICT, NORTH SHEWA ZONE, AMHARA REGION, ETHOPIA

Abstract: Ethiopia has rich flora with different plant species having use in health care system based on local indigenous knowledge. In this study, plants of traditional medicinal use and their associated indigenous knowledge in Tarmaber district were investigated. A total of 100 informants (age≥20) were selected to collect information on medicinal plant use from four sampled kebeles. Of these, 30 key informants were selected purposively based on recommendation by local elders and authorit...

FLORISTIC COMPOSITION, STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS AND REGENERATION STATUS OF WOODY PLANT SPECIES IN DABAL FOREST, EAST HARARGHE ZONE, OROMIA, ETHIOPIA

Abstract: The study was conducted in Dabal forest to investigate the floristic composition, population structure and regeneration status of woody plant species (WS) in the forest. 52 nested quadrats of the size 20m × 20m, 10m x 10m and 5m × 5m for tree/shrub, sapling and seedling respectively, were laid systematically along seven line transects. For each quadrat, variables such as altitude, longitude and latitudes were recorded by using Garmin 62 GPS. A metermarked stick was used to measur...

EVALUATION OF ALLELOPATHIC EFFECT OF Lantana camara L. LEAF EXTRACTS AND GROWTH INHIBITORY EFFECT OF SOIL FROM BENEATH ITS CANOPY ON Lepidium sativum L.

Abstract: In most cases invasive plants have allelopathic effects on crops and other indigenous associated plants. Allelochemicals from such plants may also have negative impact on soils. This study was carried out to investigate the allelopathic effect of leaf extracts of Lantana camara and soils invaded by it on Lepidium sativum. Leaf extracts of Lantana camara were prepared in 5, 10, 15 and 20% concentration levels while distilled water was used as control to evaluate germination paramete...

ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL PLANTS IN ADAMI TULU JIDO KOMBOLCHA DISTRICT, OROMIA, ETHIOPIA

Abstract: Ethiopia has rich flora with different plant species having medical importance in health care system based on local indigenous knowledge. In this study, plants of traditional medicinal use and their associated indigenous knowledge in Adami Tulu Jido Kombolcha were investigated. A total of 100 informants (age≥25) were selected to collect information on medicinal plant use from three sampled kebeles. Of these, 20 key informants were selected purposively and 80 informants were selec...

Botany is the scientific study of the physiology, structure, genetics, ecology, distribution, classification, and economic importance of plants. Botany is a branch of biology that deals with the study of plants, including their structure, properties, and biochemical processes Afribary curates list of academic papers and project topics in Botany. You can browse Botany project topics, Botany thesis topics, Botany dissertation topics, Botany seminar topics, Botany essays, Botany text books, lesson notes in Botany and all academic papers in Botany field.

Popular Papers/Topics

Anatomy and water purification potentials of seeds of moringa oleifera, the effects of cement dust on amaranthus viridis., pollen grains in reconstructing past climate, anatomical analysis and seed-coat imposed dormancy in parkia biglobosa, floristics and structure of fallow vegetation, evaluation of phytochemical, nutritional, and mineral compositions of some selected capsicum species fruit, callus induction of local garlic cultivar (allium sativum l.), a review on global conservation priority and the challenges of biodiversity hotspot, ecological utilization of the weed – tithonia diversifolia and sustainability of the paper industry in nigeria, evaluation of rhizobium and mycorrhiza interactions in sustainable maize(zea maysl.)and soyabean(glycine maxl.) production, the effect of smoke treatment on the germination on four species of mesembryanthemum :some preliminary observations, ethnobotanical study on wealth of homegardens in gosiling gewog of tsirang district, a study of the effects of nitrate, ammonium, and nitrate + ammonium nutrition on nitrogen assimilation in zeamays l., malaria: epidemiology and herbal treatment options in some selected areas of central region of ghana, plant traits and drought tolerance in the savanna: a kruger national park case study.

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Scientists identify gene that could lead to resilient 'pixie' corn

A widely found gene in plants has been newly identified as a key transporter of a hormone that influences the size of corn. The discovery offers plant breeders a new tool to develop desirable dwarf varieties that could enhance the crop's resilience and profitability.

A team of scientists led by Iowa State University spent years working to pinpoint the functions of the gene ZmPILS6. Now, they have been able to characterize it as an important driver of plant size and architecture, a carrier for an auxin hormone that helps govern growth in roots below ground and shoots, or stalks, above ground. Their findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ( PNAS ) this week.

"A hallmark of the current age of science is that we have all this high-quality genome data, whether for corn or humans or other organisms, and now we have the task of figuring out what the genes actually do," said Dior Kelley, assistant professor of genetics, development and cell biology at Iowa State, who led the research team.

The group used "reverse genetic screening" (from the gene to traits expressed in the plant), combined with other techniques, as they tracked their gene's role in corn development. Reverse screens require multiple growing seasons and don't always work, according to Kelley. It took seven years for her group to thoroughly characterize ZmPILS6 and verify it regulates plant growth.

When "knocked out" of modified, mutant plants, its absence suppressed root lateral formation and plant height. The research has led to a provisional patent for its potential to be used in breeding programs to create short stature corn that is still highly productive.

"I think of this as 'pixie' corn," Kelley said. "There's a lot of interest in it for all kinds of reasons, including reduced use of water and nutrients and its ability to withstand high winds."

As they studied ZmPILS6 in corn, the researchers made another curious finding: The gene seemed to have opposite effects on plant growth than a comparable gene in Arabidopsis , a plant often used as a model for research.

"This was very unexpected," Kelley said. "It illustrates that plant proteins, which have evolved in different contexts, can behave differently. It emphasizes the need to study genes directly within key crops of interest, rather than thinking we understand them based on how they work in other plants."

Kelley gives a lot of the credit for the project's success to a "great team of collaborators," especially Craig Cowling, a doctoral student in Kelley's lab who is the first author on the PNAS paper. "Craig was the one to really dig in, to confirm that this gene carries the plant hormone auxin, and it absolutely controls size in corn."

"This project and being acknowledged as first author on a paper in this important journal has been a little unbelievable," Cowling said. "It's been a long journey for me. I never thought I would go to college when I was in high school in Des Moines, so I went into ROTC and then the Marines, where I worked around the world as a technology specialist. When I got out, I wanted to do something different. Thanks to some good mentors, I've figured out that I love working with and understanding plants."

Kelley calls the new research "foundational" basic research to understand a gene that impacts numerous, complex growth traits, which evolution has conserved through many plants, from algae to maize. "It is also 'translational,' in that it links to genetic resources that can be used to improve breeding programs," she said. "This opens up whole new questions and facets of research for my laboratory."

This project has been supported by an Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive grant through the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and USDA Hatch start-up funding from Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

• Endangered Plants
• Life Sciences
• Agriculture and Food
• Food and Agriculture
• Biotechnology and Bioengineering
• Plant breeding
• Plant defense against being eaten
• Heirloom plant
• Pituitary gland

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Materials provided by Iowa State University . Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference :

• Craig L. Cowling, Arielle L. Homayouni, Jodi B. Callwood, Maxwell R. McReynolds, Jasper Khor, Haiyan Ke, Melissa A. Draves, Katayoon Dehesh, Justin W. Walley, Lucia C. Strader, Dior R. Kelley. ZmPILS6 is an auxin efflux carrier required for maize root morphogenesis . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 2024; 121 (22) DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313216121

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Household Inflation Expectations: An Overview of Recent Insights for Monetary Policy

This paper discusses the recent wave of research that has emphasized the importance of measures of consumers’ inflation expectations. In contrast to other measures of expected inflation, such as for experts or financial market participants, consumers’ inflation expectations capture the broader distribution of societal beliefs about inflation. This research has revealed very significant deviations from traditional assumptions about rationality in consumers’ expectations formation. However, households do act on their beliefs about inflation, though in heterogeneous ways that can depart from the predictions of conventional economic models. Recent euro area experiences highlight the importance of tracking the degree of anchoring in consumers’ inflation expectations in a way that considers their inherent complexity, heterogeneity, and subjectivity. On average, consumers’ medium and longer-term expectations deviate noticeably in levels from central bank targets and, in contrast with expert expectations, often co-move more closely with shorter-term inflation news. By stepping up their engagement with the wider public, central banks may be able to influence expectations by building up greater knowledge and trust and thereby support more effective monetary transmission. Communication efforts need to be persistent because central banks must compete with many other demands on consumers’ attention.

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Does policy communication during covid work, fiscal policy and households’ inflation expectations: evidence from a randomized control trial, how did u.s. consumers use their stimulus payments.

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Last Minute Biology Revision for NEET 2024 – Zoology and Botany Tips

Kriti Jain ,

May 29, 2024 | NEET

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Last minute biology revision for NEET 2024 can prove to be a helping hand for students struggling to keep up with the NEET syllabus. They can opt for strategies like using flowcharts, revising important topics, understanding the syllabus, and more.

Last minute biology revision for NEET 2024 can help students prepare for the NEET 2024 exam. Oftentimes, students leave biology for the last minute study and end up struggling to remember each topic.

Therefore, they must be aware of some tips and tricks for the last minute revision. Techniques such as rapid-fire quizzes, mock tests, notes, and more can help the students align with the NEET syllabus 2024 and pass the exam effortlessly. So, begin your preparation today. 

Table of Contents

Last Minute Biology Revision Tips for NEET 2024

Neet 2024 biology: chapter wise weightage.

NEET is considered to be one of the most competitive exams in India. With increasing competition students are finding it difficult to keep up with the syllabus. All worries will end here. The following are some tips for last minute biology revision for NEET 2024:

• Prepare a consistent revision schedule

Revision is the time when students need not study extensively, but rather take a quick look at the notes and other mnemonics. However, this does not entail that they need not study further; revision is as important as comprehensive study as it allows students to work on their areas of weakness. Thus, crafting a revision schedule becomes crucial.

For example, if a student hasn’t properly gone through the chapter “Structural Organization in Animals”, by using handbooks and other study material they can quickly understand the topic. It will allow them to focus on the crumbs they might have left during the actual preparation.

• Know important topics

Students tend to neglect studying Zoology and Botany until the last day, swamping into a pool of topics. By knowing the important topics and their importance in the NEET exam they can easily come out of this pool. Here’s a list of some high-yield topics that can help the students score easily:

Zoology: Important Topics

• Cell and cell cycle
• Animal husbandry
• Animal kingdom
• Animal diversity
• Structural organization in animals
• Diversity of living organisms
• Reproductive health
• Human physiology
• Human reproduction
• Human health and diseases
• Biotechnology
• Biomolecules

Botany: Important Topics

• Plant physiology
• Plant anatomy
• Division and cell biology
• Plant diversity
• Plant reproduction and morphology
• Bio-molecules
• Biology in human welfare

Also Read: NEET Biology Chapter Wise Weightage 2024 - Download PDF

• Learn with diagrams and flowcharts

Students might have noticed that PPTs, visual representations, and other visually appealing maps are easy to understand and learn. Well, this is known as conceptual mapping. It helps break down the topic into manageable chunks, like flow charts, making learning efficient and effective.

Moreover, the diagrams provided within chapters can help visualize the topic at hand. These diagrams provide practicality to the topic and depict processes like the menstrual cycle or the mechanism of gene expression.

Practising these diagrams, and labelling important parts like the cross-section of a leaf, and plant cell structure can strengthen visual memory. It can also make learning fun, and easy, and students are able to understand the functionality behind the concept.

• Use relevant study material

The best way to do your last minute revision is by using the right NEET study material 2024 . Since a lot of books are available today in the market, students might ask: “Where to study from?” The answer to this question is simple: NCERT and hand-written notes.

These two are the most reliable sources of information and can be of great help to study a few days before the exam. The syllabus mainly comprises chapters and topics from classes 11 and 12 NCERT. Apart from that students can also leverage books like Objective Botany by S. Ansari for a better understanding.

Moreover, hand-written notes or short summaries made during the classes can serve as short guides for chapters and topics. Even if someone fails to remember topics like Animal kingdom or respiration in plants, a quick look at their notes can tell them a lot about the important points.

But what if someone doesn't prepare notes? Short videos can help students grasp the gist of difficult topics in a few minutes. Remember to choose your study material wisely as it can save significant time during your biology revision for NEET 2024.

• Simplify complex topics

Topics such as genetics, and molecular biology can be difficult to remember due to the load of information and terminologies. The easiest way to remember the terms is by simplifying them. Prepare cheat codes or patterns for these terms, just like in video games. This practice will help revise the topics efficiently.

Also Read: NEET Sample Paper 2024: Download Model Question Paper PDF

• Appear for mock tests

Sitting for the NEET mock test 2024 and solving the previous years’ question papers can provide students a chance to test their preparation for the exam. Mock tests and previous year papers can assess one’s time management capabilities, areas of weakness, understanding of the questions, and more.

Not only that, students are well-prepared on the day of the examination as they are aware of the pattern of questions, topic-wise weightage, and the way to attempt the question paper.

• Give online quizzes

Online quizzes are another way to prepare at the last minute for the NEET exam. Online quizzes provide an opportunity to test speed and efficiency in attempting the question paper. In the beginning, students might feel that they are lagging due to high competition, however, as they continue to participate in such quizzes they gain confidence.

• Join discussion groups

Networking is the best way to ensure the preparedness of students. Participating in online forums, discussion groups over the internet, or various other social media platforms allows students to connect with mentors, alumni, those who have attempted the exam, and peers. They can take advantage of these groups to clarify doubts, learn about tips and tricks, obtain study material, and much more. This is a great way to revise the syllabus.

• Active recalling

Students must ensure that they are regularly testing themselves on various topics to enhance memory retention and understand their pain points. By doing so, they can effortlessly revise each topic on time and ensure that areas of improvement are worked upon.

Also Read: NEET Deleted Syllabus 2024: Know Reduced Chapters

• Keep up with the deleted and current topics

Some topics and chapters have been deleted from the NEET 2024 exam syllabus. Thus, students must keep a check on these updates in order to prepare well.

Learning about the updated syllabus can save a lot of time for the last minute biology revision for NEET 2024. Below is an updated list of the current and deleted topics in the biology syllabus released by the National Medical Commission (NMC):

NewlyAdded Topics:

• Family (Malvaceae, Curcifeare, Legunimoceae, Compositae, Gramineae)
• Insect (Frog)

Deleted Topics:

• Taxonomic acid
• Strategies for enhancement in food production
• Digestion and absorption
• Environmental issues
• Transport in plants
• Reproduction in organisms
• Mineral nutrition
• Alteration of generation

Also Read: NEET Chemistry Chapter Wise Weightage 2024 - Download PDF

Given the importance of examination, students end up cramming the whole syllabus, even the least important topics. This, in turn, creates a mess during revision. Here’s a brief overview of NEET chapter-wise weightage 2024 in zoology and botany respectively:

Also Read: NEET 2024 last 10 years Question Paper PDF Download with Solution

How can I revise biology for NEET 2024?

How to do last-minute revision for NEET?

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