Plants and the Light Environment
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| BIOS3014 | Biosciences | 3 | 10 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- BIOS3014
- School
- Biosciences
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 10
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
The module provides a wide-ranging, detailed and modern training extending from the cellular to community level, for those with interest in plant physiology, environmental biology, agronomy and horticulture. The module focuses on the influence of the light environment on the physiology of native and crop species. It considers how this knowledge contributes to an understanding of the causes of variations in crop yields and may be used to assist in the search for improved varieties and increased productivity in agricultural systems.
Target Students
Students in the Schools of Biosciences and Life Sciences.No overlapping of other modules will be allowed. Available to Natural Science students.
Classes
- One 3-hour lecture each week for 11 weeks
Assessment
- 50% Coursework 1: A group presentation in the middle of the semester.A written examination will take place for resits. The date and time will be published in due course. The re-sit paper for this module will have a predominantly essay-type format. The examiners do, however, have the right to set questions which require interpretation and/or manipulation of experimental data. The re-sit examination will last two hours and students will be expected to answer two questions from a choice of four.
- 50% Coursework 2: A short word essay of no more than 1500 words.A written examination will take place for resits. The date and time will be published in due course. The re-sit paper for this module will have a predominantly essay-type format. The examiners do, however, have the right to set questions which require interpretation and/or manipulation of experimental data. The re-sit examination will last two hours and students will be expected to answer two questions from a choice of four.
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
The module focuses on the influence of the light environment on the physiology of native and crop species. It considers how this knowledge contributes to an understanding of the causes of variations in crop yields and may be used to assist in the search for improved varieties and increased productivity in agricultural systems. The module provides a detailed and modern training extending from the cellular to the whole plant and community levels for those with interests in plant physiology, environmental biology, environmental science, applied biology and crop science.Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
- Synthesise information about how light interacts with plants at a variety of levels (organ, tissue, cell and molecule).
- Explain how light is absorbed by plants to initiate energy transfer systems and to stimulate developmental pathways of photomorphogenesis.
- Analyse literature and produce a coherent argument to support or disagree with the Cholodney-Went theory of phototropism.
- Differentiate between different light signalling pathways in plants and demonstrate how these pathways function in plants.