Postgraduate Course: Taxonomy & Plant Collections (PLSC11006)
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 | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | The aim of the course is to provide an understanding of the crucial role of herbarium taxonomy in plant biology and its power and elegance as a technique to study plant diversity. |
| Course description |
The aim of the course is to provide an understanding of the crucial role of herbarium taxonomy in plant biology and its power and elegance as a technique to study plant diversity. By the end of the course, students will have the experience of working in a large international herbarium and the curatorial and taxonomic skills required for a career in curation or research. The course consists of an introduction, followed by a series of topics which are prerequisites for herbarium taxonomy. After preparation in a combination of practicals and lectures, students carry out a piece of original research and write a Flora account of a small genus or family which forms the main part of the in course assessment. The following subjects are covered: Plant collecting, curation, nomenclature of wild and cultivated plants, the production and uses of taxonomic tools, monographs, floras, checklists, keys, and databases.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain the importance of herbarium taxonomy in plant biology and illustrate its uses with specific examples.
- Describe the practical aspects of herbarium taxonomy, including preparation, curation and analysis of specimens and associated data, and demonstrate practical skills in the preparation and use of specimens and data.
- Describe the practical aspects of a collection of living plants and associated data in the context of a taxonomic revision.
- Appraise existing taxonomic and floristic literature on any group of plants.
- Apply theoretical and practical knowledge to a taxonomic revision of a small group of plants.
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Reading List
Winston, J.E. 1999. Describing Species: Practical Taxonomic Procedure for Biologists. Columbia University Press 512 pp. also available as an ebook.
Turland, N. 2019. The Code Decoded: A user¿s guide to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, 2nd Edition, available free online. Pensoft publishers.
Sosef, M.S.M. Degreef, J., Engledow, H. & Meerts 2020. Botanical classification and nomenclature, an introduction. Meise Botanic Garden, 2020. 72 pp. available free online.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Analysis
Evaluation
Critical analysis
Problem solving
Communication
IT skills
Autonomy
Teamwork
Accountability |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Alex Twyford
Tel: (0131 6)50 5455
Email: Alex.Twyford@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Claire Black
Tel: (0131 6)50 8649
Email: Claire.Black@ed.ac.uk |
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