Undergraduate Course: Evolution and Ecology of Plants 3 (BILG09011)
Course Outline
| School | School of Biological Sciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The origin, evolution and biodiversity of plants and fungi, their reproductive and breeding mechanisms, patterns of variation, mechanisms of interspecies competition and allelopathy, symbiosis and niche capture. The course will introduce a comparison of morphological and molecular approaches to the study of the structure and phylogeny of vascular plant groups. Plant/environment interactions feature in the context of the evolution of early land plants, their shaping of and response to climate, the species and structures of major Northern plant communities, and the impact of climate change upon them. |
| Course description |
The course covers aspects of the origins and evolution of land plants, the biodiversity of flowering plants and their systematics, evolutionary history, reproductive and breeding mechanisms, patterns of variation, and how they adapt and acclimate to environmental conditions.
The course mainly focusses on land plants, but ¿algae¿, i.e. all other photosynthetic organisms, will also be covered. The earliest land plants and their modern descendants are described, with an examination of ancient environments and what plants can tell us about them. The sequence of evolutionary novelties that drove land plant evolution and culminated in the radiation and success of angiosperms are described and current angiosperm diversity is surveyed, based on up-to-date molecular relationships.
Suitable laboratory and field work will accompany all units of the course. It will involve the greatest possible use of living plant materials, both wild and from the RBGE collection. A field excursion to a permaculture garden will form part of the course.
Students should gain an understanding of processes underlying plant evolution and adaptation to habitat, and become familiar with the outcome ¿ biodiversity. They will become familiar with classification, how it is done, and the relationships between major plant groups as currently understood. Plant anatomy will be studied and placed in the context of the evolutionary processes responsible. Students will learn about the nature of environmental stresses experienced by plants and of the physiological mechanisms by which individuals or whole species can escape or endure these stresses. They should thus understand the physiological determinants of species distribution. Lastly, the course will examine on how intelligent use of plants and their ecology can improve food production and other aspects of human society.
This course therefore aims to deliver a broad understanding of how plants evolved, how they interact with the world, and why these things matter.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Equivalent of the courses listed above |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2016/17, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 23,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 53,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
117 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Normally 2 items of in-course assessment plus one 2 hour exam |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
| Increased understanding of plant evolution, diversity and phylogeny. Detailed learning outcomes will be provided later.
|
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
Lectures are from 1330 - 1700 hrs |
| Keywords | EEP3 |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Richard Milne
Tel: (0131 6)50 5322
Email: R.Milne@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Linda Goodall
Tel: (0131 6)50 5521
Email: Linda.Goodall@ed.ac.uk |
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