Prof. Dr. Huimin Yang, Dr. Lijing Zhang
Textbook: Yunlong Zhou. Plant Biology, third edition. Beijing: Higher Education Press. 2010.
Grade Assignment: Regular course involvement and homework 30% + Final Examination 70%.
Examinations will include the contents in the text, the questions and problems from lectures, experiments and assigned readings.
Course Description: This course deals with the basic concepts, structures, functions and key processes of plant, its relationship with the environment, and related topics. Recent advances and trends in plant science will be explored and discussed.
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students should:
1) Understand basic concepts, structures, functions and key processes of plant, and its relationship with the environment.
2) Use ‘the integrity of structure and function’ principle to explain plant adaptation to the environment.
Course Outline:
1. INTRODUCTION (Chapter 0)
Basic requirement: understanding plant kingdom, role of plant in the nature and its relationship with human, and the history of plant science.
Key point: the importance of plants in the nature and human life.
Hard point: the taxonomy of plants.
1.1. The importance of plants in the nature and human life
1.2. The taxonomy of plants
1.3. The content of research in plant science, and the significance of studying plant science
1.4. The history of plant science and the trend of modern plant science
1.5. The requirement and methodology in studying plant science
2. PLANT CELL (Chapter 1)
Basic requirement: understanding the structure, function and proliferation of plant cell.
Key point: the structure and division ways of plant cell.
Hard point: the structure of cell wall, division ways of plant cell
2.1. The morphology and structure of cell
2.2. The proliferation of plant cell
2.3. The growth and differentiation of plant cell
3. PLANT TISSUE (Chapter 2)
Basic requirement: understanding the concepts and type of plant tissue, the structure and function of tissues.
Key point: the type plant tissue, the structure and function of tissues.
Hard point: the structure and function of tissues.
3.1. The concepts and type of plant tissue
3.2. The structure and function of tissues
4. VEGETATIVE ORGANS OF PLANT (Chapter 3)
Basic requirement: understanding the structure, function and development of plant root, stem and leaf.
Key point: the primary and secondary structure of plant root, stem and leaf.
Hard point: the development and differentiation of plant root, stem and leaf, the transition zone of vascular bundle in plant root, stem and root.
4.1. Root
4.2. Stem
4.3. Leaf
5. INORGANIC NUTRITION IN PLANT (Chapter 4)
Basic requirement: understanding the absorption, transportation, utilisation of water and mineral nutrient in plant.
Key point: the absorption pathway and mechanism of water and mineral nutrient in plant.
Hard point: the mechanism underlying water and mineral nutrient absorption and transportation in plant.
5.1. Water in plant
5.2. Mineral nutrient in plant
6. PLANT PHOTOSYNTHESIS (Chapter 5)
Basic requirement: understanding the structures involved in plant photosynthesis, the whole process of plant photosynthesis, plant types according to carbon reaction, photorespiration.
Key point: the whole process of plant photosynthesis, plant types according to carbon reaction.
Hard point: the whole process of plant photosynthesis.
6.1. The importance of plant photosynthesis in the nature and human life
6.2. The structure and pigment involved in plant photosynthesis
6.3. Light reaction
6.4. Carbon reaction
6.5. Photorespiration
6.6. The influence of environmental factor on plant photosynthesis
7. DARK RESPIRATION OF PLANT (Chapter 6)
Basic requirement: understanding the importance, type, and the whole process of plant dark respiration, and its use in agriculture.
Key point: the whole process of plant dark respiration.
Hard point: the difference between the electron transportations in plant photosynthesis and dark respiration.
7.1. The importance of plant dark respiration in the nature
7.2. The whole process of plant dark respiration
7.3. The influence of environmental factor on plant dark respiration
7.4. The use of plant dark respiration in agriculture
8. PROPOGATION AND REPRODUCTION OF PLANT (Chapter 7)
Basic requirement: understanding the concepts, type, and the organs involved in plant propagation, the process of plant reproduction.
Key point: the organs involved in plant propagation, the process of plant reproduction.
Hard point: the development and differentiation of organs for plant reproduction.
8.1. The concepts and type of plant propagation and reproduction
8.2. Flower
8.3. Seed
8.4. Fruit
9. PLANT GROWTH AND REGULATION (Chapter 8)
Basic requirement: understanding the factors regulating plant growth, the mechanisms under beneath, and gene technology for regulating plant growth.
Key point: the factors regulating plant growth, the mechanisms under beneath.
Hard point: the mechanisms under beneath.
9.1. The regulation of phytohormone to plant growth
9.2. The vegetative growth of plant and its regulation
9.3. The influences of light and temperature on plant growth
9.4. The reproductive growth of plant and its regulation
9.5. The maturation of plant and its regulation
9.6. Gene expression and regulation during plant growth
10. PLANT AND ENVIRONMENT (Chapter 9)
Basic requirement: understanding the concept of environment, the factors influencing plant, the adaptation of plant to the environment, the distribution of plants, and type of plant vegetation in the world.
Key point: the factors influencing plant, the adaptation of plant to the environment.
Hard point: the mechanism of plant adaptation to the environment.
10.1. The concept of environment and factors influencing plant
10.2. The adaptation of plant to the environment
10.3. Plant population and the environment
10.4. Plant community and the environment
10.5. Plant and ecosystem
11. UTILISATION AND PROTECTION OF PLANT RESOURCE (Chapter 10)
Basic requirement: understanding the importance of protection of plant resource to the nature and human life, the utilisation pathways.
Key point: the utilisation pathways of plant resource.
Hard point: the utilisation pathways of plant resource.
11.1. The importance of protection of plant resource
11.2. The history of utilisation
11.3. The optimal utilisation pathways
