Professor: Dr. A.L. Plant    Office: B8228 (Tel: 291-4461 E-mail: aplant @sfu.ca)

Lab Instructor: Dr. Mala Fernando    Office: B9238 E-mail: fernando@sfu.ca

Greenhouse Technician: Maija Siekkinen    

DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed to provide an introduction to the world of plants. The course will be divided into two parts. In the first part the major groups of extant plants that comprise the seedless and seed plants will be examined. This part of the course will be covered from an evolutionary perspective, spanning from the first appearance of plants to the major groups present today. Emphasis will be placed on the origin and evolution of the angiosperms and the factors that allowed them to achieve world-wide dominance.

The second part of the course will focus on contemporary angiosperms and will have two themes. The first is the form and function of plants and will cover the organization of the plant body, the shoot and root systems and the different organs, tissues and cells that make up the plant. The origin of the major plant organ and tissue systems, through the activity of the meristems, will be examined as well as the major roles they play during the plant life cycle. This part of the course will establish a sound understanding of the fundamentals of plant biology. The second theme will concentrate on the relationship between humans and plants. Various aspects of human dependence on plants will be examined including agriculture (plants provide us with food), forestry (plants provide wood - a renewable resource) and medicine (plants are a treasure trove of medicinal compounds e.g. taxol a potent anti-cancer drug). This part of the course will place plants in context by demonstrating how they relate to human society.

MARK DISTRIBUTION:

Midterm Exam - 25%

Laboratory Exam - 20%

Laboratory Report - 15%

Final Exam - 40%

Required Text:

Raven, Evert and Eichorn, Biology of Plants 5th or 6th edition (Freeman Worth).

A materials fee of $2.80 is charged for this course

LECTURE TOPICS

Introduction to the form & function of plants

Alternation of generations

Seedless plants

Primitive plants & the first land plants

Bryophytes, Psilotophytes & Lycophytes

Sphenophytes & Pterophytes

Seed Plants

Evolution of the seed & the appearance of seed plants

The first Gymnosperms

The Coniferophyta

The Gnetophytes

The Angiosperms

Evolution of the Angiosperms

Co-evolution of the Angiosperms with insects

Form and Function of Higher Plants

Primary Growth: the cells & tissues that make up the plant

Ground tissue

Dermal tissue

Vascular tissue

Specialized tissues

Primary Growth: stems & leaves

Shoot apical meristem

Structure & function of the stem

Axillary buds & branching

Modified stems

Structure & function of leaves

Leaf movements

Modified leaves

Leaf abscission

Primary Growth: roots

Root apical meristem

Structure & function of roots

Root systems & modified roots

Secondary growth

Lateral meristems

Secondary growth in stems & roots

Secondary xylem (wood)

Secondary phloem

Cork cambium

Periderm

Plants & their uses to humans

Plants & food

Agriculture

Important food crops

Feeding the world - an important challenge

Farming for the future

What about biotechnology?

The forests

Forestry & our dependence on wood

Forestry in B.C.

Deforestation & reforestation

Natures botanical medicine cabinet

Opiates and coca

Anti-cancer agents - taxol

Pain killers

Why do plants make this amazing array of chemical substances?