BOT240 Plant Ecophysiology

Credits (ECTS):10

Course responsible:Knut Asbjørn Solhaug

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Norsk, engelsk

Limits of class size:Minimum 5 students. If there are fewer than 5 students, the course might be offered as an independent study.

Course frequency:Annually.

Nominal workload:Structured lectures: ca. 90 hours. The students´ own contributions in the form of preparation for lectures, writing of lab reports and reading for the exam: ca. 160 hours.

Teaching and exam period:This course starts in Spring parallel. This course has teaching/evaluation in Spring parallel, .

About this course

The main emphasis of the lectures is on the physiological adjustment of the photosynthesis, mineral nutrition and water balance of plants in response to different and varying external conditions. Much emphasis will be placed on the effects of climate change. Experimental laboratory exercises will go more thoroughly into the lectures and parts of the syllabus will be discussed in colloquia.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

The student will be given an introduction to the physiological adaptation of plants growing in different places and climates to climatic, eudafic and biotic environmental factors. The student will by lectures, lab exercises and colloquia get a good understanding on how these environmental factors affect basic processes as plant photosynthesis, water relations and mineral nutrition.

Skills

By lab exercises the student will get experience in analyzing acclimation of plants to various factors as light, temperature and CO2. The student shal learn to present the results with figures, tables and discussion in lab reports.

General competence

The student shall by using knowledge about physiological processes be able to explain ecological problems such as the distribution, production, survival, rest and growth rhythm of plants, as well as the interaction between plants and between plants and other organisms.

  • The theory will be covered in lectures. The most central/difficult points will be discussed in colloquia. In the laboratory course, the adaptation and sensitivity of plants to various types of stress (for instance frost, UV-radiation, drought) will be demonstrated. Effects of light,temperature and carbon dioxide on plant photosynthesis will be measured.
  • To a large extent, the teacher will be available for individual supervision.
  • BOT130.
  • A final written exam, 3 hours, counts 2/3 of the grade. Laboratory report counts 1/3 of the grade. All of the evaluated elements in the course must be passed to pass the course.
  • An external examiner is used to evaluate the written exam. In addition to reading lists, self-produced material will be sent to the examiner as a basis for evaluation. For evaluation of lab journals, examples will be sent to the examiner.
  • The course is given the last time in the spring parallel 2024.
  • There will be approximately 26 hours of lectures, 24 hours of group study and 30 hours of laboratory work. In addition, students can get individual supervision in, for example, the writing of lab journals.
  • Letter grades
  • Special requirements in Science