2019/2020

2019/2020

DM270

BIO/03 (ENVIRONMENTAL AND APPLIED BOTANICS)

DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGIES

PERCORSO COMUNE

1°

2nd semester (02/03/2020 - 12/06/2020)

9

76 lesson hours

Italian

WRITTEN TEST

NOLA PAOLA (titolare) - 9 ECTS

Fundamentals of Biology, with particular reference to cells structure and composition (Module Citologia e Istologia of the course Biologia animale).

The main objective of the course is to give a deep knowledge of plant organisms. At the end of the course students will acquire theoretical and practical skills about plant biology and botany, with the following learning outcomes:
• Knowledge about plant structure, with particular reference to vascular plants, and understanting of their inner organization, through the study of the properties of plant cells, the composition and the variety of plant tissue, the anatomy of plant organs.
• Knowledge of plant morphology and its modification in response to environment.
• Knowledge of specific language to use for describing plants, from the microscopic level of cell structure to the macroscopic level of morphology.
• Ability in applying knowledge in the identification and interpretation of plant structures, based on pictures, schemes of anatomical table.

The course is designed to give the students a broad background in plant biology and botany. The study of plants will incorporate information from the sub-disciplines of cytology, histology, anatomy and morphology, mainly referred to vascular plants. During the lectures the following chapters of plant biology will be approached: plant cells and their differences with respect to animal cells, cell growth and development, cell organization in tissues, organ and plant development, anatomy and morphology of plant organs.
The course includes laboratory activities dedicated to preparation and observation of microscope slides sets about different cell types, their organization in tissues and organ anatomy. A section is dedicated to illustrate how the general features about cells, tissues and organs described in the previous section may be modified as adaptation to different kinds of environment. The course will give the students some examples about the use of plant biology and anatomy knowledge in the study of environmental problems and researches.

The course includes lectures and laboratory activities.
Lectures are based on Power Points presentations, which are available for the students on the moodle platform KIRO, in the course section.
During laboratory activities, students are guided in preparing microscope slides from fresh plant material, using different techniques (in toto, peelings, sections) with and without staining. Observations of the slides under the optical microscope is guided by specific explanations, pointing the most important elements of the preparation.
To attend lectures and laboratory activities is strongly recommended.

In addition to Power Point presentations, one among the following texts is suggested:
Longo C., Marziani G. – Biologia delle piante: forme e funzioni elementari. UTET 2005
Pasqua G., Abbate G., Forni C. - Botanica Generale e diversità vegetale. Piccin 2008
Stern K.R., Bidlack J.E., Jansky S.H. – Introduzione alla biologia vegetale. McGraw- Hill 2009
Rost T.L., Barbour M.G., Stocking C.R., Murphy T.M. – Biologia delle piante. Zanichelli 2008

Learning is verified through a written test composed of different type of questions:
• True-or-false questions, verifying the student ability to address punctual questions about structures and processes explained during the lectures.
• Questions requiring the recognition of images and/or schemes, to verify the student ability to recognize processes, tissues and organs, based on schematic picture or images from microscope slide.
• Questions requiring the explanation or the definition of a specific term, verifying knowledge and understanding of the specific language.
• Questions requiring a short description of a biological process, a tissue or an organ, as seen during the classes, and aiming to verify language use, synthesis and the deep understanding of theoretical concepts.
Numerous examples of test questions are shown during the lectures.

During the period of lectures and before each examination date tutors are available to help the students in the study, also by examples of test questions.