Program Overview

Course Overview

The course BI2021, Plant Ecophysiology, is an intermediate-level course that builds on the foundation in plant physiology established in BI1007, with an emphasis on ecophysiology. 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.

Course Details

• Course Code: BI2021
• Credits: 7.5
• Level: Intermediate course, level II
• Language of Instruction: English
• Location: Trondheim

Course Content

This course is offered every second year, next time in the autumn of 2024. It provides a physiological background for students studying plant ecology, focusing on the physiological processes involved in plant interaction with the environment. These processes include:

• Water relations
• Gas exchange
• Energy balance
• Mineral nutrition
• Responses to the environment
• Plant defenses
• Stress physiology

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

• On completion of the course, the students should be familiar with basic principles and methods in plant ecophysiology.

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
• Make flow rate measurements in woody plant segments and use these to calculate hydraulic architecture parameters
• Use image analysis software to measure leaf area and/or quantify visible symptoms of injury
• Use a gas-exchange instrument for measurement of photosynthesis and respiration in plants and interpret the results

General Competence

The student will be able to:

• 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: 30 hours
• Laboratory Work: 20 hours (mandatory)
• Compulsory Assignments: Data analysis assignments, short scientific research article

Evaluation

• Exam: Counts for 40% of the grade on the course
• Portfolio: Counts for 60% of the final grade, including:
  • Data analysis worksheets (50% of portfolio grade / 30% of final grade)
  • Short scientific article (50% of portfolio grade / 30% of final grade)

Retake Policy

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.
• Portfolio 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.

Recommended and Required Previous Knowledge

• Recommended Previous Knowledge: BI1007 or equivalent course in introductory plant physiology
• Required Previous Knowledge: BI1007 or equivalent introductory course in plant physiology

Course Materials

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

Credit Reductions

Course code | Reduction | From
---|---|---
BO2021 | 7.5 sp | Autumn 2011
This course has academic overlap with the course in the table above. If you take overlapping courses, you will receive a credit reduction in the course where you have the lowest grade. If the grades are the same, the reduction will be applied to the course completed most recently.

Subject Areas

• Biology
• Botany
• Ecology