The Green Planet
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| BIOS2075 | Biosciences | 2 | 20 | Spring UK |
- Code
- BIOS2075
- School
- Biosciences
- Level
- 2
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
This module considers plant evolution from a functional perspective:
• Photosynthesizers through deep time
• The move onto land
• Foraging: rhizoids & roots
• Transport: evolving structures to move water and nutrients
• Harvesting light: cuticle & stomata to modern leaves
• Escaping the need for water for reproduction: Seeds
• Co-evolution of plants and animals: flowers, fruits & herbivory
• Modern plant diversity and threats
Target Students
Available to students in Biosciences and Life Sciences, and students on the Natural Sciences and the Env Sci (2+2) Ningbo programmes.
Classes
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 11 weeks
- One 3-hour practicum
- One 2-hour lecture each week for 11 weeks
Assessment
- 33% Coursework 1: Structured practical report (1500 words)
- 67% ExamSys 1 (2-hour): ExamSys Exam
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
This module will explore the evolution of key plant systems through deep time, and the significance of this process for understanding modern ecology and food security.Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
•Discuss the challenges of the move of plants onto land.
•Explain the importance of root evolution in soils.
•Describe the role of water availability and transport in the evolution of the tracheophytes.
•Describe evolutionary innovations within the early spermatophytes.
•Demonstrate understanding of the power of natural selection in producing plant diversity over deep time.