PLBIO 2480

Vascular Plant Systematics

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2015-2016.

An introduction to the diversity of vascular plants, including ferns, conifers, flowering plants, and other related groups. Lectures cover the goals and history of plant systematics and classification, the processes of plant evolution, patterns of plant diversity and biogeography, and the methods used to analyze and interpret these patterns. The laboratory presents a survey of vascular plant diversity, with a focus on structural characteristics of major plant families.

When Offered Spring.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: introductory course in biology or botany or permission of instructor.

Comments May not be taken for credit after PLBIO 2430.

• Describe the history and current goals of systematics and the methods used to analyze patterns in structural and DNA characters, consistent with these goals.
• Dissect and interpret vegetative and reproductive structures of plants, using standard botanical terminology.
• Explain the reproductive biology of plants, with reference to structures involved in reproduction, including pollination biology, the sexual cycle, and dispersal of spores, seeds, and fruits.
• Describe major patterns of plant biogeography and the underlying processes that have generated these patterns.
• Discuss the nature of plant species, and speciation.
• Distinguish 60 families of vascular plants, and describe their overall phylogenetic relationships.

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