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BOTY302 Plant Function and Environment

Credit Points 6
Offering
Responsible Campus Teaching Period Mode of Study Online Level
Armidale Semester 2 Off Campus B - Internet access required
Intensive School(s)
Start Finish Attendance Notes
05 September 2010 08 September 2010 Mandatory
Supervised Exam There is a UNE Supervised Examination held at the end of the teaching period in which you are enrolled.
Pre-requisites BOTY202 and 6cp in BOTY or ECOL units or candidature in a postgraduate award in the School of Environmental and Rural Science or School of Science and Technology
Co-requisites None
Restrictions BOTY355 or BOTY355A or BOTY502 or BOTY555
Notes None
Combined Units BOTY502 - Plant Function and Environment
Coordinator(s) Nigel Warwick (nwarwick@une.edu.au)
Unit Description

This unit examines in-depth how Australian plants acquire resources such as carbon, nutrients and water and the environmental influences on these processes. The emphasis will be on how plants respond to the stresses of salinity, drought, low nutrients, temperature, water logging and heavy metals and their effect on plant growth and development. The unit will examine the functional and anatomical adaptations of plants to their environment. Examples will be drawn from the Australian flora in arid, semi-arid and humid environments. A strong practical component will investigate the ecophysiology of Australian plants growing in coastal forests, dune fields, salt marshes and mangrove and seagrass communities.
Prescribed Material
Mandatory 		Text(s):

Note: Students are expected to purchase prescribed material

Physiological Plant Ecology: Ecophysiology and Stress Physiology of Functional Groups
ISBN: 9783540435167
Larcher, W., Springer Verlag 4th ed. 2003
Text refers to: Semester 2 , Off Campus
Disclaimer Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Assessment
Title Exam Length Weight Mode No. Words
Assignment 1 25% 3000
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-4 GA: 1-5
Practical Report 25% 1000
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 2, 3 GA: 1-5, 7, 8
Final Examination 2 hrs 50% 2000
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-4 GA: 1-4, 6

Learning Outcomes (LO) Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. understand and explain how Australian plants obtain the resources (carbon, nutrients, water) necessary for growth;
  2. understand and explain the functional mechanisms of Australian plants that allow them to grow and develop in humid, semi-arid and arid environments;
  3. understand and describe the anatomical specialisations of Australian plants;
  4. demonstrate an appreciation the mechanisms whereby Australian plants cope with the environmental stresses of salinity, drought, heavy metals, waterlogging and low nutrients, and evaluate methods for investigating these mechanisms.

Graduate Attributes (GA)
Attribute Taught Assessed Practised
1 Knowledge of a Discipline
In lectures and practicals the students are given information and carry out practicals which will further consolidate their understanding of botany, particularly plant ecophysiology. 		True True True
2 Communication Skills
Written - Essay and Practical Report; Oral - Class discussion. 		True True True
3 Global Perspectives
The principles covered in this unit have global as well as Australian relevance. 		True True
4 Information Literacy
Essay and practical report will require literature review and library work. Reading material in text and handbook. 		True True True
5 Life-Long Learning
The principles taught in this unit will give students a good grounding in Plant Function which will be of great benefit in professional development as Environmental or Natural Resources Scientists or Managers. 		True True True
6 Problem Solving
Problem solving activities will be encountered formally and informally during lectures and practicals. 		True True True
7 Social Responsibility
The unit has an ecological emphasis and where appropriate the relevance to conservation and sustainable land use will be highlighted. 		True True
8 Team Work
Practical work will be carried out in small groups. 		True True True
   

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