Course content

The course is offered every second year, next time will be in autumn 2023. It builds on the foundation in plant physiology established in BI1007 with an emphasis on growth and development. It covers the physiological processes involved in plant growth and development, including embryonic development, cell expansion, root and shoot growth, light responses, hormonal regulation, and environmental and hormonal signal transduction. The pensum includes chapters from a current textbook and scientific articles chosen by the instructor and students. This course provides a physiological foundation for students studying cell and molecular biology and biotechnology, and together with BI2021 comprises a comprehensive full semester course in plant physiology for physiology majors.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

Upon completion of the course the student will have a fundamental understanding of the physiological principles and processes involved in plant growth and development.

Skills:

The student will be able to:

• Search databases to collect scientific articles on a specific subject
• Use bibliographic software to search, catalogue, and cite scientific information
• Critically evaluate scientific methods, including data analysis and presentation, in scientific articles
• Analyze and lead discussion on a scientific article
• Summarize and synthesize scientific literature in a review article

General competence:

The student will be able to:

• Choose and define the boundaries for review of a scientific subject
• Search for, critically read, and evaluate scientific journal articles
• Cite scientific literature to support statements and discussion in scientific writing
• Write a literature review

Learning methods and activities

Lecture and discussion: 30 hours

Project work where the student will:

• Choose, present and lead discussion on a journal article
• Choose a theme in plant growth and development and write a review article on it.

Further on evaluation

The course consists of three assessment parts:

1. Written school exam: 40% of final grade
2. Scientific article presentation and discussion: 15% of final grade
3. Review article: 45% of final grade

Approved presentation and literature review are required to be approved for the exam.

In the case of 'fail' or 'retake':

• A final examination is held during the exam period each semester. The written exam can be changed to an oral exam in the semester when the course is not taught.
• Presentation and literature review can be retaken by following the teaching again.

Appeals:

• You must appeal within three weeks after the grade has been published or you've received an explanation of your grade.

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

BI 1007 or similar course

Required previous knowledge

The student must be admitted to the Bachelor's degree in biology, with physiology as the field of study. The subject must be a part of the study plan.

Course materials

Taiz, Lincoln, and Eduardo Zeiger. Plant Physiology. 6th ed. Sunderland, Mass.: Sinauer Associates, 2014. Journal articles chosen by instructor and students

Credit reductions