University of the West of England

MODULE SPECIFICATION

Code: USSJAS-20-3 Title: ENVIRONMENTAL PLANT PHYSIOLOGY Version: 3

Level: 3 UWE credit rating: 20 ECTS credit rating: 10

Module type: Standard

Owning Faculty: Health and Life Sciences Field: Applied sciences

Valid from: September 2008 Discontinued from:

Pre-requisites: USSJ9Y-20-2 Plant Growth and Survival, USSJ9R-20-2 Applied Ecology, USSJPK-20-2 Climate Change, USSJ4Y-20-2 Applied Genetics or USSJ4C-20-2 Molecular Genetics

Co-requisites: NONE

Excluded combinations: NONE

Learning outcomes:

Students will be able to:

      • understand recent ideas about how plants respond to spatial and temporal variation in the abiotic environment.

      • assess the contribution of abiotic variables to limiting plant productivity in agricultural and natural ecosystems.

      • discuss the most recent research developments into the potential for manipulating plant responses to abiotic variables

      • reflect upon the physiological consequences for plants of human induced changes in the environment.

      • gain experience in literature review, written communication, oral communication, and manipulation, analysis and interpretation of experimental data.

Syllabus Content:

Below Ground - Plant/Soil Interactions

The Mechanisms of Ion Uptake: The ecophysiology of nutrient uptake, assimilation and transport by higher plants, especially of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and sulphur.

Soil Limitations to Plant Growth: the soil supply of nutrients, acid soils, alkaline soils, saline soils, waterlogged soils, and heavy metals in soils and the problems they pose for plant growth.

Plant Adaptations to Soil Limitations to Growth: Matching uptake mechanisms to patterns of nutrient supply (including spatial fertility/infertility and temporal variations on a variety of scales). Adapatations to soils of extreme pH (avoidance and tolerance), coping with saline soils (including salinity problems in agriculture and the breeding of tolerant crops); plant growth in waterlogged soils; plant growth in soils with high concentrations of heavy metals (including hyperaccumulation and tolerance mechanisms).

Above Ground - Plants and Microclimate.

Temperature: Plant adaptations which facilitate survival in a variety of temperature regimes.

The Ecophysiology of Photosynthesis: Comparative ecophysiology of C3, C4 and CAM photosynthesis. The diversity of CO2 concentrating mechanisms. Plant responses to Photinhibition. Plant responses to increased CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

Atmospheric Pollutants: The effects of gaseas and wet-deposited acidic pollutants on plant growth and physiology.

Teaching and learning methods:

A variety of learning approaches will be used. Practical and tutorial sessions will provide opportunities for data handling and interpretation, problem solving and discussions with academic staff. Lectures will provide contexts and overviews of topics to guide student-centred learning which will be supported by reading packs of recent publications on each topic. Workshops will be used to encourage students to discuss and reflect upon particularly important recent research publications in selected topics. Student learning will be supported by the provision of revision material after each topic is completed in hard-copy and interactive form on the intranet. Collections of images of plant adaptations will be used extensively and be available to students for inspection via the intranet.

Reading Strategy

All students will be encouraged to make full use of the print and electronic resources available to them through membership of the University. These include a range of electronic journals and a wide variety of resources available through web sites and information gateways. The University Library’s web pages provide access to subject relevant resources and services, and to the library catalogue. Many resources can be accessed remotely. Students will be presented with opportunities within the curriculum to develop their information retrieval and evaluation skills in order to identify such resources effectively.

This guidance will be available either in the module handbook, via the module information on UWEonline or through any other vehicle deemed appropriate by the module/programme leaders.

Marschner H. ( 2nd Ed) (1995) The Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants, Academic Press.

Wilkinson E. (1994) Plant-Environment Interactions, Marcel Dekker.

Larcher W. (1995) Physiological Plant Ecology. Springer-Verlag.

Sparks D.L. (1995) Environmental Soil Chemistry, Academic Press

Wellburn A. (1994) Air Pollution and Climate Change: The Biological Impact. Longman, 2nd Edn.

Smirnoff N. (1995) Environment and Plant Metabolism, Bios Sceintific Publications

Smith W. K. & Hinckley T.M. (1995) Ecophysiology of Coniferous Forests, Academic Press

Nobel P.S. (1998) Physicochemical and Environmental Plant Physiology, Academic Press. 2nd Ed.

Caldwell M.M. & Pearcy R.W. (1994) Exploitation of Environmental Heterogeniety by Plants - Ecophysiological Processes Above and Below Ground., Academic Press.

Buchanan, B., Gruissem,W. & Jones,R.L. (2002) Biochemistry and Modular biology of plants. ASPP, San Diego, Ca USA.

Assessment

Weighting between components A and B (standard modules only) A: 60% B: 40 %

ATTEMPT 1

First Assessment Opportunity

Component A Element weighting

EX3

Examination - 3 hour

1

     
     
 

 

Component B

Description of each element Element weighting

DI

Data Interpretation

1

ES1

Essay

1

     
 

 

Second Assessment Opportunity (further attendance at taught classes) NO

Component A

Description of each element Element weighting

EX3

Examination - 3 hour

1

     
     
 

 

Component B

Description of each element Element weighting

     

ES1

Essay

1

     
 

 

SECOND (OR SUBSEQUENT) ATTEMPT Attendance at taught classes. YES

Specification confirmed by …………………………………………………Date ……………………………

(Associate Dean/Programme Director)

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