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Semester 2

Evolution and Ecology of Plants 3 (BILG09011)

Subject

Biology

College

SCE

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

3

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Equivalent of the courses listed above

Course Summary

Acclimation and adaptation of plants to diverse environmental stresses; competition and niche capture by plants; origin, evolution and biodiversity of plants, from algae to angiosperms (based on up-to-date molecular relationships); their reproductive and breeding mechanisms; their anatomy. How the earliest plants colonised the land, and what they can tell us about ancient climates. Laboratory and field work is integral to the course, including work at the Royal Botanic Garden.

Course Description

The course covers aspects of the acclimation and adaptation of plants to diverse environmental stresses, both biotic and physical; competition and niche capture by plants; the origin, evolution and biodiversity of plants; their reproductive and breeding mechanisms; and their anatomy. The course mainly focuses on land plants. A comparison of morphological, physiological and molecular approaches will be introduced to study the ecology and evolution and plants, from algae to angiosperms. Plant-environment interactions also feature in the context of the colonisation of the land by early plants. We hope that the evolution and ecology of plants (past and present, wild or cultivated) will be seen to be indissolubly linked. 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 is 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. This course therefore aims to deliver a broad understanding of how plants evolved, how they interact with the world, and why these things matter.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 15%, Coursework 85%, Practical Exam 0%

Additional Assessment Information

ICA:4 LEARN SAQ Tests each worth 4%'Meeting the families' collection 5%Practical Report 19%Course Essay 25%Exam:Whole Course MCQs 15%Whole Course SAQs 20%

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