Plant Physiology and Ecology

Course code: BOTN-204

Credit hours: 4(3+1)

Instructor: M Asghar Ali Ansari

E mail: [email protected]

Description 

  • This course provides basic information about principles of plant functions and their adaptation to environment (ecology)
  • It also explains physical processes in plant, metabolism (photosynthesis and respiration), secondary products, cell physiology  as well as introducing principles of growth and development.
  • It also provides understanding about the mechanisms of uptake of water and minerals by plant, role of water potential in plant. 
  • Minerals and nutrition, their physiological role and their deficiency symptoms in plants.
  • Photoperiodism and mechanism of flowering in plants and vernalization in plants.​

Objectives:

 The course objectives are to develop and enhance the ability of students to:

  • Know and understand  the basic concept of plant physiology and ecology.
  • Understand the mechanisms of photosynthesis in C3, C4 and CAM plants.
  • Understand the mechanisms of respiration (oxidative pathway).
  • Understand the relationship of complimentary metabolic pathway such as photosynthesis  and respiration to acquire energy and use for development.
  • comparing the effects of climatic  and edaphic factors on plant life.
  • Analysis and comparison between biotic factors and their effects on plant growth.
  • Understand the interaction between the communities and their interaction to the non living physical envienvironme.
  • Understand the conceptss of applied ecology.​

Learning outcomes:

The student will possess comprehensive knowledge about function of plant organs, organelles and their metabolism.

The student will be able assess the effect of various environmental factors on plant growth and development as well as the adoptation of plants to various environments. 

​Assessment criteria:

Sessional + Presentation: 10 marks

Practical: 15 marks

Mid term examination: 30 marks

Final term examination: 45 marks

Weekly lecture plan:

Week Course contents Date 
1 Water relations to plants (water potential, osmotic potential, pressure potential,matric potential).   
2 Absorption and translocation of water. Stomata regulation.  
3 Mineral nutrition:  Soil as a source of minerals.  Passive and active transport of nutrients.   
4 Essential mineral elements, role and deficiency symptoms of macronutrients.   
5 5 Photosynthesis: Introduction, Oxygenic and non-oxygenic photosynthesis Mechanism: light reactions (electron transport and photophosphorylation) and dark reactions (Calvin cycle).  
6 Differences between C3 and C4plants.Factors affecting this process, Products of photosynthesis.  
7 Respiration:Definition and respiratory substrates. Mechanism of Glycolysis,Krebscycle.   
8 Electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation, Anaerobicrespiration  
9 Mid Term Examination  
10 Energy balance   in   aerobic and anaerobic respiration, Respiratory quotients  
11 Introduction, aims and applications of ecology  
12 Physical and Chemical properties of soil (soil formation, texture. pH, EC, organism and organic matter etc.) and their relationships to plants  
13 Light and Temperature. Quality of light, diurnal and seasonal variations.Ecophysiological responses.  
14 Field capacity and soil water holding capacity. Characteristics of xerophytes and hydrophytes.  Effect of precipitation on distribution of plants  
15 Wind as an ecological factor and its importance.  Population Ecology: Introduction. A brief description of seed dispersal and seed bank  
16 Community Ecology, Ecological characteristics of plant community,   Methods of sampling vegetation (Quadrate and line intercept), Major vegetation types of the local area.  
17 Ecosystem Ecology Definition, types and components of ecosystem.  Food chain and Food web. Applied Ecology: Causes, effects and control of water logging and salinity with respect to Pakistan  
18 Final Term Examamination  

 

Recommended Books:

  1. Schultz, J. C. 2005. Plant Ecology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
  2. Taiz, L. and Zeiger, E. 2006.   Plant Physiology.4th. Ed. Sinauers Publ. Co. Inc.Calif.
  3. Subrahmanyam, N. S. and Sambamurthy, A. V. S. S. 2000. Ecology. Narosa Publishing House,
  4. Townsend, C. R., Harper, J. L. and Begon, M. E. 2002. Essentials of Ecology. Blackwell Scientific
  5. Smith, R. L. 2004.Ecology and field biology. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.,New York.

Course Material

Other Courses by Mr. Asghar Ali Ansari