Plant Biotic Interactions: From Conflict to Cooperation
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| BIOS3108 | Biosciences | 3 | 10 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- BIOS3108
- School
- Biosciences
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 10
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
Plants interact with other organisms, including other plants, animals, and microbes. Some interacting partners are a threat, while others help the plant thrive and even reproduce. This module provides a wide overview of plants' diverse interactions with antagonists and mutualists, from the microbial to the multicellular level. It introduces the ecological and evolutionary aspects contributing to preserving such interactions and delves into the checks, balances, and metabolic processes underlying mutualistic and parasitic interactions. In addition, this module covers how a deeper understanding of the mechanisms determining mutualistic and parasitic interactions can provide a framework to design strategies to secure ecological balance and food security.
This module considers the following topics:
- Cyanobacteria-plant symbiosis
- Lichens and cyanolichens
- The plant microbiome and the rhizosphere. Endophytic fungi, nitrogen-fixing and plant-growth-promoting bacteria
- Identification, visualization and quantification of mycorrhizal fungi (lab-based practical)
- Plant fungal and bacterial pathogens – diversity, infection, and pathogenesis
- Plant parasitic nematodes – diversity and disease development
- Plant-herbivore and plant-microbe signal and regulatory defensive networks
- Seed dispersal mutualism and pollination
- Plant-plant interactions: plant-plant communication and symbiotic interactions
- Multitrophic interactions
Target Students
Only available for UG students and only available for Year 3 or 4 students.
Classes
- One 2-hour workshop
- Two 1-hour lectures each week for 8 weeks
- One 2-hour laboratory
Assessment
- 35% Coursework 1: Group work -Presentation of a scientific paper in a journal club format
- 65% Exam 1 (1-hour): Exam consisting of short answer questions
Assessed by end of designated period
Educational Aims
This module will:Explore how plants interact, adapt, or co-evolve with other plants and organisms.Examine the way biotic interactions, within or across trophic levels, drive ecological and evolutionary processes within the plant kingdom.Delve into the cellular and molecular processes underlying plant-biotic interactions.Examine how these interactions can support a productive and sustainable use of cultivated land and forests.Learning Outcomes
Describe the different interactions, eg; beneficial and antagonistic, between plants and microbes, invertebrates and vertebrates.
Develop a foundational understanding of the molecular basis mediating beneficial and antagonistic interactions between plants and their bacterial, oomycete, fungal, plant, and invertebrate symbionts, pathogens, and pests.
Relate knowledge of plant parasites, commensals, and mutualists to how their interactions with the plant have contributed to plant success and diversity.
Understand the impact of plant biotic interactions on global food security.
Evaluate and critically assess recent research papers in plant biotic interactions.
Gain laboratory skills in the detection, visualisation, and quantification of mycorrhizal fungi.