BOTANY
Academic year and teacher
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2022/2023
- Teacher
- SIMONETTA PANCALDI
- Credits
- 9
- Didactic period
- Primo Semestre
- SSD
- BIO/01
Training objectives
- Botany is a branch of biology which deals with the morphology of the plant organisms also related to their environment.
The course aims at giving the basic in plant biology to a student who begins the studies in biological sciences, by focusing the attention on the cytology, the anatomic and functional organization in tracheophytes, in order to give information that will be useful for the subsequent studies, chiefly in the fields of plant physiology and biochemistry.
The experimental activities are aimed at deepening the theory and understanding the basic protocols of light microscopy and of a plant sample setting up.
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
The student:
- knows the proper botanical terminology;
- knows the theoretical bases of plant cytology, histology, anatomy and reproduction;
- knows the relationship between plant and environment.
ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
The student is able to:
- use the proper botanical terminology;
- evaluate the cytological, histological, and anatomical differences of the organs in tracheophytes;
- identify the different reproduction types in plants;
- apply the theory to the laboratory activities. Prerequisites
- No prerequisites are foreseen, however knowledge of the basics of biology, of the elements of chemistry and physics useful for the introduction to the study of biology are required.
Course programme
- Course Program
Introduction (2 hours). An introduction to plant biology. Relevance of plants for human and environment.
In the first part – Plant Cytology (14 hours). Plant and animal cells: differences. Autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Animal and plant organisms: analogies and differences. Chemical composition of the cell. The eukaryotic plant cell. Plastids. Vacuoles and their contents. The cell wall and its modifications.
In the second part – Plant Histology (20 hours). From the cell to the multicellular organisms. Tallophytes and Vascular plants. True tissues and pseudotissues. Meristematic tissues. Ground tissues. Mechanical tissues. Vascular tissues. Dermal tissues. Secretory tissues.
In the third part – Plant reproduction (14 hours). Vegetative and sexual reproduction in plants. Nuclear phases and generations in plants. Ontogenetic life cycles. Gametophyte and sporophyte evolution. The flower in the Angiosperms and its evolution. Androecium. Gynoecium. Double fertilization.
In the fourth part – Plant Anatomy (6 hours). From seed to plantlet. The shoot. Types of branching. The bud. Anatomy of the stem. The stem in cross-section in the primary and secondary phase of growth. The root. The root in cross-section. The leaf. Modifications of roots, stems and leaves.
Laboratory activities: Use of the light microscope. Observation of: plastids, starch and flours, solid and liquid vacuolar contents, cell walls and modified cell walls. Preparation of histological specimens and staining of plant tissues. Observations of flower anatomy. Visit at the Botanical Garden. Seminars of Plant Biology. Didactic methods
- The course consists of theoretical lectures (7CFU)and guided experimental activities in the Botany Laboratory of the DISAP Department (2CFU). At the end of each topic unit, the teacher proposes a guided content revision to the students.
For the laboratory practice, specimens are prepared and observed individually by each student or in groups of two students, following the instructions given by the teacher. Learning assessment procedures
- The final exam is aimed at verifying the student's level of knowledge and understanding of the subject, and the student's ability to discuss and explain the key concepts. The evaluation is expressed in thirtieths (minimum rate 18/30).
The exam is usually written/oral by computer,with the exception for students manifesting problems.
The student is asked to answer 32 multiple choice questions re garding the entire program (plant citology, histology, organography, reproduction and some laboratory topics). Each correct answer gains 1 point while incorrect or not given answers 0 point. No penalties are foreseen.
The exam will permit:
-to evaluate the achievements of the objectives in term of knowledge and understanding;
-to evaluate the knowledge and the ability of applied understanding. Reference texts
- Testi consigliati:
Pancaldi et al. Fondamenti di Botanica Generale - Teoria e Pratica in laboratorio. McGraw-Hill second edition
Stern et al. Introduzione alla Biologia Vegetale. McGraw-Hill
