Extreme Plants

Prerequisites: Biology 111 and Biology 112 or my permission.

Students learning about the importance of Sphagnum moss in Tannersville Cranberry Bog, the southernmost sphagnum bog east of the Mississippi River. This site was designated a National Natural Landmark in December 1974.

Counts as an elective course for the Environmental Science Major, Restoration Ecology Concentration, and a technical course for the Environmental Science Minor.

In Fall 2017, BIOL 224 students synthesized knowledge gained in the course about plant adaptation to design educational signs for two campus locations featuring plants.

TOPICS AT A GLANCE

General plant anatomy and physiology * Plant and animal interactions * Extreme plant adaptations in habitats ranging from the rocky intertidal to the mountains * Medicinal plants * Plant biodiversity * Paleobotany * Ethnobotany

Description: Plants are much more interesting and diverse than you probably ever imagined.  In this course, students explore the factors that affect the diversity, distribution, and abundance of plant species.  This course is organized into two sections.  During the first section, we cover the general structure and organization of the plant body, and, during the second part of the course, we explore the varied architectural alternatives that plants have evolved with respect to both form and function of growth and reproduction in each of the major terrestrial and aquatic biomes.  For each biome/habitat, we discuss the unique environmental challenges plants face and the mechanisms plants have evolved to cope with these challenges.  The course is comprised of lectures, discussions, laboratories, guided and independent investigations, presentations, and field trips (including weekend trips to Great Swamp and Longwood Gardens). Lecture and laboratory are integrated in the time allotted for this class.

BIOL 224 students and I enjoying plant biodiversity in the conservatory at Longwood Gardens.

Biology 224 Syllabus Spring 2023