PLSCI 5420

Plant Physiology, Lectures

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2024-2025.

Integrated and interdisciplinary study of the processes that contribute to the growth, competition, and reproduction of plants. Topics include, but are not limited to, plant-water relations, membrane properties and processes, photosynthesis, plant respiration, mineral and organic nutrition, stress physiology, control of growth and development, and responses to the environment. Emphasis is on the relationship between structure and function from the molecular to the whole-plant level.

When Offered Spring.

• Describe, and give relevant examples of, how each process in a plant integrates with other relevant processes to determine the overall response of the plant to a particular set of conditions.
• Demonstrate how energy affects processes at all levels of biological organization from the molecule and cell to organisms and ecosystems.
• Describe how cells/organisms perceive and respond to their environment, and the signal transduction, intercellular communication and information processing mechanisms involved.
• Explain how evolution underlies all aspects of biology and accounts for the unity and diversity of life.
• Discuss new findings, including newly discovered mechanisms and signaling pathways, that are shaping our understanding of plant development, and plant responses to the environment.
• Outline research projects to investigate basic aspects of plant growth and development using physiological and molecular approaches. Evaluate existing knowledge in the topic of research, propose experimental approaches to address the research questions and discuss how to interpret and evaluate data.

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