| Responsible Department | Department of Agriculture and Ecology | ||||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | BSc. 3 year to MSc. 2 year | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | One block | ||||||||||||||||
| Credits | 7.5 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||||
| Level of Course | Joint BSc and MSc | ||||||||||||||||
| Examination | Continuous Assessment written examination No aid allowed Description of Examination: The students will be continuously assessed during the course based on 4 multiple choice / short-text answer tests. Weight: Each of the 4 examinations will be marked according to the 7-point scale. The three best results obtained contribute equally (1/3 each) to the average course grade given. 7-point scale, internal examiner | ||||||||||||||||
| Requirement for Attending Exam | Attendance at 3 out of 4 exams is required to pass the exam. | ||||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | The teaching consists of lectures and problem solution individually and in groups. For each area students will work actively with exercises and group-discussions of case studies or selected papers. | ||||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 4 Week Structure: B | ||||||||||||||||
| Language of Instruction | English | ||||||||||||||||
| Optional Prerequisites | Basic knowledge of plant physiology, for example LBIB10188 or similar | ||||||||||||||||
| Restrictions | None | ||||||||||||||||
| Course Content | |||||||||||||||||
| What is Plant Ecophysiology? Plant ecophysiology is the study of the physiological mechanisms that underlie where and how plants grow. Plant ecophysiologists study how plants function in diverse environments and their physiological responses to environmental and climate change. The processes occurring in plants during the immediate stress response, acclimation and adaptation to a stress are investigated. All higher plants require essentially the same resources - light as energy source, water and nutrients - and each species must capture and use these resources for growth and reproduction. For native plants in environments where critical resources are not available in optimal supply at all times when needed, plants face selective pressure for growth performance without excessive use of resources. Plant ecophysiologists are concerned with understanding how species that grow in challenging environments are able to do so. What topics will be covered in Advanced Plant Ecophysiology? The course will give students an understanding of both molecular aspects of plant processes and the functioning of the intact plant in its environmental context. We will examine the mechanisms used which allow some plants to grow naturally in challenging environments encountered all over the world. The course will focus on the following areas: How plant growth is affected by nutrient availability and which mechanisms are used in low-nutrient environments How plants grow in acidic, calcareous, saline or heavy-metal polluted soils How photosynthesis is affected by availability of light, water, nutrients and atmospheric CO2 and the consequences for plant growth How respiration in roots is affected by flooding, salinity and water stress and the consequences for plant growth and ion uptake How water movement within plants (in roots, stems and leaves) is affected by drought How plants are affected by excess irradiance and extreme temperatures How symbiotic associations affect how plants acquire nutrients and water Each topic will be discussed with a view to ecological observations as well as with future plant breeding/biotechnology approaches in mind. | |||||||||||||||||
| Teaching and learning Methods | |||||||||||||||||
| The teaching consists of lectures and problem solution individually and in groups. For each area students will work actively with exercises and group-discussions of case studies or selected papers. | |||||||||||||||||
| Learning Outcome | |||||||||||||||||
| The main objective of the course is: . To develop and apply plant physiological principles to plant growth and resource utilization in cultivated and natural terrestrial eco-systems. . To assess the impact of changes in the environment on plant functioning and to use the concept of biological stress to understand mechanisms involved in plant acclimation to adverse climatic conditions. . To asses the impact of soil management on plant production. . To focus on the direct and indirect aspects of anthropogenic pollution in relation to impacts on plant physiological processes. After completing the course the student should be able to: Knowledge: . Describe the impact of the environment on plant functioning at various levels of integration from the molecular, biochemical and physiological level to the whole plant level. Skills: . Understand and explain how variations in natural growth factors and human management factors affect the growth and productivity of different plant species used in horticulture, agriculture and forestry. Competences: . Analyse and react on problems related to plant growth and biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems caused by changes in climate, soil conditioning and exposure to anthropogenic pollutants. . Suggest and evaluate strategies for improvement of plant tolerance towards adverse soil and climatic conditions by plant breeding and biotechnology. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Literature | |||||||||||||||||
| Lambers, Chapin and Pons, 2008, Plant Physiological Ecology, 2nd edition, Springer. Out of stock, but pdf files of all chapters can be downloaded from www.springerlink.com | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||||
| Inge Skrumsager Møller, insm@life.ku.dk, Department of Agriculture and Ecology/Plant and Soil Science, Phone: 353-33419 | |||||||||||||||||
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