An examination of how plants function, divided into three modules: (i) interactions with the environment, focusing on how plants acquire water and nutrients, transport them, use them, and control their concentrations; (ii) biochemistry and metabolism, focusing on how plants acquire energy and transform it into usable forms, and how plants construct the compounds they need; (iii) growth and development, focusing on how plants achieve their size and shape, and how they respond to environmental stimuli. Plant physiology within the context of other fields, such as evolutionary biology and ecology, is also discussed. For example, many of the physiological differences between members of the plant kingdom represent unique adaptations to the environment. From an ecological perspective, these adaptations influence the abundance and geographic distribution of species across the planet. The lab provides training in physiological measurements, writing abstracts, and constructing graphs.
Prerequisites: Two of the following pairs of courses: BIOL 2003 and BIOL 2008, BIOL 2063 and BIOL 2068, BIOL 2013 and BIOL 2018, BIOL 2023 and BIOL 2028, BIOL 2053 and BIOL 2103; or permission of the instructor. |
