PLSCI 2025

Plants and Microbes

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

Plants are sedentary organisms, weathering drastic changes across seasons while anchored to the same patch of earth. Like all living things, plants are surrounded by (and harbor) various microbes (bacteria, viruses, fungi, nematodes, protists) that form unique communities and interact with the plant host. This course introduces the concept of plant-microbe interactions from mutualism to pathogens. The course explores how plants and microbes have co-evolved over time and the impact of climate change on plant-microbe interactions. Students should take this course if they are interested in microbial ecology and in preparation for upper-level plant pathology, virology, mycology, and plant-microbe interactions courses.

Last 4 Terms Offered (None)

Learning Outcomes

• Distinguish major groups of plant-associated microbes based on fundamental traits and structure.
• Compare major lifestyles of microbes and expected impacts on plant hosts.
• Identify major characteristics of plant-microbe interactions and predict their potential outcomes based on contextual clues.
• Describe how climate change is expected to impact plant-microbe interactions.
• Find and critically evaluate primary literature sources on plant-microbe interactions.

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