BIO3081

Plant responses to the environment

Dr John Beardall

6 points - First semester - Clayton - Two 1-hour lectures and 3 hours laboratory work per week - Prerequisite: 16 points (BSc[Env]12 points) from level 2 BOT/ZOO/BIO - Recommended: BOT2031 or BOT2032

Objectives Students will gain a basic knowledge of plant responses to their environment. At the end of the course students should understand the mechanisms involved in these responses at different levels of organisation ranging from gene expression through biochemical and structural modification of plants to effects on community composition and plant distributions.

Synopsis This subject deals with the ways in which plants respond to their environment. Emphasis is placed on examining topics at a variety of levels from molecular changes in gene expression to effects on communities. Lectures cover plant development and responses to environmental stresses such as drought, temperature and salinisation, as well as the effects of global climate change. Manipulation of plant performance by means of genetic engineering and ethical issues associated with these rapidly advancing and exciting developments in agricultural biotechnology are also discussed.

Assessment Examination (2.5 hours): 60% - Practical work: 40%

Recommended texts

Australian Society of Plant Physiologists Plants in action ASPP, 1998
Salisbury F B and Ross C W Plant physiology 4th edn, Wadsworth, 1992

Back to the 1999 Science Handbook