Plant Ecophysiology

This course is offered every second year, next time in the autumn 2024. It 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. These processes will be discussed with respect to current problems in agriculture and the environment such as crop and forest productivity and global change. The lab and project work includes measurements of water relations and hydraulic architecture, chlorophyll fluorometry and gas exchange, and frost tolerance. This course provides a physiological background for students studying plant ecology.

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

Lecture and discussion 30 hours

Laboratory work: 20 hours mandatory

Compulsory assignments

Data analysis assignments, short scientific research article