General Botany, BIOL 305

Overview of course: This course is designed for the biology major and is a comprehensive introduction to the plant kingdom including the following topics: life-history, reproduction, structure, and physiology. A laboratory is included and involves self-paced microscopic and macroscopic analysis of living and preserved specimens.

Jan 16^th NO Lab!!!!!!! Registration for classes ends the last Friday of the week. It is impossible to re-schedule a missed lab this semester if you did not sign up for class/Lab for Monday, so Labs will begin in week two!

Jan 23^rd LAB ONE: Working on oral Presentation: This week you will be working on your oral presentation component for the course. It is completely up to you to decide on the topic, and I do not expect the topic to have anything to do with anything in class.I will be coming around to see how you are progressing with the process. The abstract, which is 30% of the points, will be due at the end of the Lab. This is your chance to ask any questions, get advice from me or your classmates, and to really focus on the task at hand for the following lab period. You will be graded for the work you put into this lab period.

Jan 30^th LAB TWO: Oral presentation: Because we are surrounded on a daily basis by news articles, journal entries, and Internet stories concerning cutting-edge aspects of plant Science, I want us as a class to explore these issues during this class. This will also provide you all with vital experience in assimilating information from scientific sources, which you will need for your future careers.

Plan to give a ten minute presentation on an issue of your choice. Create a power-point slide presentation. Provide the entire class and me with a relevant handout. Plan for a 15-20 minute presentation and 5 minutes of question and answer time.

The best advice for any oral presentation is to speak with authority. As seniors you will have to present some form of seminar for your major - so remember what you do in this class! So, how does one speak with authority?

Feb 6^th LAB THREE: General plant anatomy - a great place to start! Historically, Botany covers a wide range of scientific disciplines including structure, growth, reproduction, metabolism, development, diseases, chemical properties, and evolutionary relationships among taxonomic groups. Today the scope and importance of modern botany has grown to cover many molecular, genetic and biochemical level aspects through organelles, cells, tissues, organs, individuals, plant populations, and communities. At each of these levels a botanist might be concerned with the following aspects of plant life:

Feb 13^th NO LAB!! However, this is your out of class assignment for when I am away. It is an assignment entitled "GMO crops will feed the world's population in 2100 sustainably". The outline for this assignment can be found here:

Here are a few sources to help you start thinking about, and understanding, more about this topic:

Feb 20^th LAB FOUR: Fruit structure and its link to the mechanism of seed dispersal. In this lab we will consider the structure, function, and dispersal of fruit bodies. The ovules are contained in the ovaries of flowers. After pollination and fertilization of the egg inside the ovule, the ovule develops into a seed and the surrounding ovary develops into a fruit. In some cases, ovaries develop into fruits without fertilization of ovules. This kind of fruit development which does not require fertilization is called parthenocarpy and the resulting fruits are called parthenocarpic fruits, which are seedless.

Feb 27^th LAB FIVE: Study assignment and review for the first exam. This assignment is designed to prepare you for the first General Botany exam. This exam covers the second and third talks of the course. This is an "open book" exercise. Use the course notes provided on my website to fully explain these questions. You do not need to write full sentences. State facts as bullet points and in as much detail as possible.

Mar 5^th LAB SIX: Osmosis in Plant Cells. This is the movement of solvent molecules through a selectively permeable membrane into a region of higher solute concentration, aiming to equalize the solute concentrations on the two sides. In plant cells, the effect is more dramatic. The flexible cell membrane pulls away from the rigid cell wall, but remains joined to the cell wall at points called plasmodesmata. The cell takes on the appearance of a pincushion, and the plasmodesmata almost cease to function because they become constricted � a condition known as plasmolysis. In plant cells the terms isotonic, hypotonic and hypertonic cannot strictly be used accurately because the pressure exerted by the cell wall significantly affects the osmotic equilibrium point. In a hypotonic environment, animal cells will swell until they burst, a process known as cytolysis. Fresh water fish urinate constantly to prevent cytolysis. Plant cells resist bursting, due to the reinforcement of their cell wall, which provides effective osmolarity or osmolality.

Apr 9^th LAB SEVEN: Flowering and reproduction: In this Lab you will understand the general structure of a flower and determine how flower structures have adapted to be pollinated by animals to prevent self-fertilization. In addition, you will investigate the genetics behind flower development.

Apr 23^rd LAB EIGHT: Herbivory investigation. The purpose of this lab is to work towards an understanding of the general herbivory defenses plants employ to be resistant or tolerant of herbivores. In addition, you will understand the cost, in terms of investment of photosynthetic output, to resistant, tolerant, and susceptible plants.

There will also be various extra bits and bobs thrown into the mix to help you become more aware of, and more appreciative of, the importance of plant science.