Course content

The course covers the fundamentals of plant ecology, such as plant life history, functional traits, and demography, and how plants interact with other plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and the abiotic environment. It covers the physiological processes involved in plant interaction with the environment, including water relations, gas exchange, energy balance, mineral nutrition, responses to the environment, plant defenses and stress physiology. It deals with the role of plant ecology and ecophysiology in the functioning of ecosystems.

These plant ecological and ecophysiological processes will be discussed with respect to current problems in agri- and horticulture and the natural environment such as crop and forest productivity and global change. The lab work includes measurements of water relations, chlorophyll fluorometry, and frost tolerance. This course provides a physiological background for students studying plant ecology and the role of plants in ecosystem ecology.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

On completion of the course the students should be familiar with basic principles and methods in plant ecology and ecophysiology and able to demonstrate knowledge of:

• Topics in plant life history and reproduction strategies
• Functional plant traits related to processes at population, community, and ecosystem level
• Interactions between plants and the abiotic and biotic environment
• Diversity and distribution of plants
• Conservation of plants, plant communities, and ecosystems
• Effects of plants on the climate and vice versa
• Importance of plant physiological processes related to water relations, gas fluxes, mineral nutrition for the ecology of plants
• Plant defense and stress physiology in relation to the external biotic and abiotic environment and changes therein

Skills:

The student will be able to:

• Use a chlorophyll fluorometer and analyze and interpret chlorophyll fluorescence measurements
• Use a pressure chamber to measure xylem and leaf water potentials and construct and interpret a pressure-volume curve
• Use image analysis software to measure leaf area and/or quantify visible symptoms of injury

General competence:

The student will be able to:

• Analyze the current theories, methods, and interpretations within the fields of plant ecology and ecophysiology, and work independently on practical and theoretical problem solving with respect to plant responses in terms of functional traits, life history, demography, and ecosystem interactions in different environments.
• Conduct and interpret measurements using a variety of instruments and methods
• Analyze and present quantitative results in graphs and tables
• Interpret results and draw conclusions based on them

Learning methods and activities

Lecture and discussion: 40 hours

Laboratory work: 20 hours mandatory

Data analysis assignments

Recommended previous knowledge

BI1007 or equivalent introductory course covering plant physiology

Bi1003 or equivalent introductory course covering ecology and evolution

Required previous knowledge

BI1007 or equivalent introductory course covering plant physiology

Bi1003 or equivalent introductory course covering ecology and evolution

Course materials

Taiz, Lincoln, and Eduardo Zeiger. Plant Physiology. 6th ed. Sunderland, Mass.: Sinauer Associates, 2014.

Keddy. Plant Ecology: Origins, Processes, Consequences. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2017.

Selected journal articles.