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Content:

In this module, you will explore plant development, anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry to understand how plants function. Over the course of the term, we will build a plant from its basic unit, the cell, all the way to fully-functioning organisms that interact with the outside world. We will explore:

- How plant cells divide and organise themselves, focusing on stem cell niches, and both root and shoot anatomy and development.

- Plant reproduction, with special emphasis on understanding gametophyte and sporophyte generations and key phases in embryonic and early plant development.

- KeyÌýmetabolic reactions including photosynthesis and secondary metabolism.Ìý

- How plants work in context, discovering how plants respond to and interact with their environments and with humans.

- Crucial plant hormones that control everything from cell division to cell files to insect defence. Your knowledge of this content will be assessed in two controlled-condition quizzes.

Teaching Delivery:

This module will follow a flipped classroom model, where you will engage with introductory material outside of the classroom and participating in active learning activities during two in-person class sessions per week. In between class meetings, you will be expected to watch one or two short, instructor-created video lectures and/or complete one or more relevant readings with the goal of grounding yourself in the topic to be discussed during the class session. In the classroom session, we will engage one or more active learning activities designed to help solidify the information you learned in the videos and/or readings. These may include, but are not limited to, group-based problem solving activities, trips around the ÐÂÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûcampus area to engage with live plant specimens, demonstrations inside the classroom, and/or active discussion of primary literature.

The module will also include a practical experience designed to help you engage with plant growth in a more tactile way. We will grow seedlings of plants from across the spectrum, with the aim of including both monocots and dicots, herbaceous and woody plants. You will learn to scarify and soak seeds, and how to apply them to plant growth media in petri dishes. You will track the progression of their seedlings from week to week, noting key data points like time to germination, rate of growth, which structures emerge first, and morphology. At the end of the semester, you will write up your data and experiences in the form of a lab report.

Assessment:

Your content knowledge and critical thinking skills will be assessed in two controlled-condition Moodle quizzes administered during the term, each worth 30% of your overall mark. Your scientific and communication skills learned during the practical will be assessed by a lab report and lab notebook, collectively worth 40% of your overall mark.

Learning Aims and Objectives:

Following this module, you will be able to:

• Participate effectively in class discussions of primary literature
• Appreciate the role of plants in your everyday life
• Share your knowledge of plants with others
• Critically read primary literature relevant to recent advances in plant science
• Correlate examples of how key hormones play a crucial role in angiosperms’ life cycles
• Make connections between the many ways in which plants overcome their lack of significant movement
• Differentiate between plants’ and animals’ approaches to generations and genomes
• Describe key aspects of photosynthesis and appreciate how photosynthetic organisms have made a key contribution to the evolution of life on earth
• Describe the structure and function of plant developmental and anatomical adaptations and why they evolved
• Compare and contrast the developmental, anatomic, and physiological characteristics of a variety of plant groups
• Analyse novel data using knowledge of plant biological and other techniques
• Apply your knowledge of plant developmental stages and anatomy to real-life plants in both a laboratory and environmental setting
• Design and implement a scientific study that asks a key question about plant diversity, environmental response, and/or development
• Properly record methods, observations, and conclusions in a laboratory notebook
• Leverage your understanding of plant anatomy, diversity, development, and environmental response to analyse data
• Compose a primary literature-style laboratory report that documents scientific findings, methods, and conclusions from your research