Lesson Structure: Botany I – Plant Physiology And Taxonomy BSC104

There are 10 lessons:

1  Taxonomic Classification of Plants

• Plant Taxonomy – Botanical/Horticultural Nomenclature, The Binomial System, Botanical Classification, Plant Families and Species, Hybrids, Varieties and Cultivars
• Botanical Keys – How to use a botanical key, Key to Plant Groups, Key to Plant Phyla

2  Cells and Tissues

• Plant Cells – types of plant cells
• Plant Tissues – Primary and Secondary Growth

3  Specific Vegetative Parts of a Plant

• Stems – Stem Forms
• Leaves – Leaf Structure and Arrangement
• Roots – Root Structure (tap root, adventitious roots)
• Common Botanical Terms

4  Flowers and Fruit

• The flower – inflorescence (panicle, umbel, composite head)
• Fruits – Simple, Aggregate, Multiple
• Reproductive Growth and Development – pollination, fertilisation, fruit setting

5  Seed and the Developing Embryo

• Seed Structure – Seed Coats, Food Storage Organs, Embryo
• Seed Germination – Germination Requirements, Stimulation, Inhibition
• Propagation of Plants

6  Photosynthesis and Growing Plants

• Photosynthesis – the Photosynthetic Apparatus, Light transformation into energy, the Photosynthetic process, Gas Exchange with the Atmosphere

7  Respiration

• Stages of Respiration – the Krebs Cycle, Electron Transport Chain
• Rate of Respiration

8  The Role of Water

• Osmosis
• Water Movement from Soil to Root – Development of Root Pressure
• The Transpiration Stream – Transpiration and Environmental Conditions

9  Movement of Water and Assimilates through a Plant

• Mechanisms of Nutrient Uptake
• Absorption and Transport of Mineral Nutrients
• Translocation of Sugars
• Adaptations for Water Storage
• Food and Water Storage Organs

10 The Effects of Tropisms and Other Growth Movements

• Plant Hormones
• Tropisms – Phototropism, Geotropism, Thigmotropism, Other Growth Movements
• Chemical Growth Modifications

Learning Goals: Botany I – Plant Physiology And Taxonomy BSC104

• Understand the relationship between the scientific principles of this unit and horticultural practices
• Demonstrate a knowledge of the Plant Kingdom and understanding of the taxonomic hierarchy
• Identify and describe the different types of plant cells and tissues, their structure and function
• Determine the role and function of specific vegetative parts of the plant
• Determine the role and function of the reproductive parts of the plant
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role and function of the seed in the life cycle of the plant
• Explain the mechanism and the role of photosynthesis in the metabolism of plants and relate to plant growth in controlled environments
• Explain the mechanism and the role of respiration in the metabolism of plants
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of water in the plant
• Review the movement of water, solutes and assimilates through the plant
• Understand the effects of tropisms and other plant movements on growth and development
• Undertake risk assessments relevant to the learning outcomes in this course

Practicals:

• Prepare a collection of forty pressed, dried, labelled plants
• Learn how to key out plants using a Botanical Key
• Identify the phyla, family, genus and species of ten unknown plants
• Identify modified plant parts on live plants
• Describe in botanical terms leaf shapes from a range of different plants
• Dissect and draw labelled diagrams of several flowers
• Collect fruits and categorise them by type (pome, drupe, etc)
• Germinate seeds and describe changes that occur to the seeds over time
• Observe changes in potted plants under varying levels of sunlight and relate this to photosynthesis
• Observe transpiration in live plants and relate this to theoretical knowledge
• Observe and record osmosis in an experimental situation
• Observe and record phototropism in plants

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General

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