Biology of Plants

Course Synopsis: Plants are one of the major life forms on earth and are easily distinguished by their biochemistry, photoautotrophic nutrition, anatomy, modular growth form, and/or by their life history characterized by an alternation of generations. As such, the higher plants or embryophytes are a cohesive evolutionary group. However, the embryophyte clade is also diverse and contains over 350,000 species. These serve as the primary producers in most terrestrial, wetland, and in many aquatic environments. Within these habitats, plants have adapted to a wide range of physical and biological conditions and are functionally as well as taxonomically diverse. For example, plants have become adapted for pollen and seed dispersal by wind, water, insects, birds, or mammals. However, pollen and seed transfer are often carried out by completely different vectors (e.g., pollination by honeybees and dispersal by bears, raccoons or birds in the case of raspberries). The content of BIO 315 will focus on these two aspects of plant biology: unity and diversity. The course will consider the consequences of variation in plants using a conceptual framework that applies to all plants. This unifying foundation will serve as a starting point to evaluate the potential adaptive significance of variants in form, physiology, and life history characteristics that exist among diverse plant groups. The study of plant biology goes beyond the basics of content and also includes understanding the methods used by plant biologists. Throughout the lecture and laboratory portion of the course, students will explore the scientific process by evaluating model