Postgraduate Course: Evolution of Cryptogams and Fungi (PGBI11048)
Course Outline
School | School of Biological Sciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
Summary | This course covers the evolution of vascular and non-vascular plants, and fungi.
The non-vascular plants (cryptogams), i.e. mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and the algae are structurally diverse and phylogenetically heterogeneous: many are more closely related to various groups of heterotrophic protists than to each other. The course will examine the molecular and ultrastructural evidence for relationships among algal and fungal groups, and the extraordinary variation in morphology, dispersal mechanisms and life histories will be surveyed with reference to current controversy about microbial biogeography and conservation. The diversity and evolution of Fungi and lichens will be presented. Special mechanisms of evolution, not operating in higher plants, particularly endosymbiosis, will be highlighted. The time-scale of evolution of algae and bryophytes will be examined and the evolution of terrestrial plants from green algae discussed in relation to ultrastructural and molecular data and fossil evidence from the early Palaeozoic. The origins, diversity and distributions of bryophytes will be discussed.
Today, most terrestrial environments are dominated, in terms of biomass and productivity, by flowering plants. This is a relatively recent phenomenon, however, and for much of the time since vascular plants colonized the land, probably in the Silurian (417-433 Mya), the principal groups of plants on land were spore-producing 'pteridophytes' and various types of early seed plants. This course will examine the time-scale and nature of land plant evolution since the Silurian, the fossil and molecular genetic evidence for land plant evolution, and the special features of the principal plant groups. We will discuss the evolutionary significance of key innovations in structure and life history and explore their consequences for plant geography and conservation. Throughout, full use will be made of the excellent collections of living plants at RBG |
Course description |
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Additional Costs | none |
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- 1.Basic understanding of algal and fungal diversity (incl. morphology, cell structure and level of organization) to phylum level, and their association as lichens.
- Ability to evaluate different sources of phylogenetic information (e.g. molecular sequence data, ultrastructure, morphology) for understanding algal, fugal and protist evolution.
- Knowledge of the evolutionary history and time-scale of non-vascular plants, including the development of the first terrestrial plants from green algae.
- Awareness of the special features of algal, fungal and brophyte life cycles and evaluation of how these may affect conservation strategies for non-vascular plants.
- Knowledge of life cycle variation in land plants and the genetic consequences of different life cycle patterns.
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Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
Keywords | Evolution of Cryptogams & Fungi |
Contacts
Course organiser | Dr Louis Ronse De Craene
Tel: (0131) 248 2804
Email: l.ronsedecraene@rbge.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Claire Black
Tel: (0131 6)50 8637
Email: Claire.Black@ed.ac.uk |
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