Botany l

Lesson Structure: Botany I - Plant Physiology And Taxonomy BSC104

There are 10 lessons:

Taxonomic Classification of Plants
Plant Taxonomy - Botanical/Horticultural Nomenclature, The Binomial System, Botanical Classification, Plant Families and Species, Hybrids, Varieties and Cultivars
Botanical Keys - How to use a botanical key, Key to Plant Groups, Key to Plant Phyla
Cells and Tissues
Plant Cells - types of plant cells
Plant Tissues - Primary and Secondary Growth
Specific Vegetative Parts of a Plant
Stems - Stem Forms
Leaves - Leaf Structure and Arrangement
Roots - Root Structure (tap root, adventitious roots)
Common Botanical Terms
Flowers and Fruit
The flower - inflorescence (panicle, umbel, composite head)
Fruits - Simple, Aggregate, Multiple
Reproductive Growth and Development - pollination, fertilisation, fruit setting
Seed and the Developing Embryo
Seed Structure - Seed Coats, Food Storage Organs, Embryo
Seed Germination - Germination Requirements, Stimulation, Inhibition
Propagation of Plants
Photosynthesis and Growing Plants
Photosynthesis - the Photosynthetic Apparatus, Light transformation into energy, the Photosynthetic process, Gas Exchange with the Atmosphere
Respiration
Stages of Respiration - the Krebs Cycle, Electron Transport Chain
Rate of Respiration
The Role of Water
Osmosis
Water Movement from Soil to Root - Development of Root Pressure
The Transpiration Stream - Transpiration and Environmental Conditions
Movement of Water and Assimilates through a Plant
Mechanisms of Nutrient Uptake
Absorption and Transport of Mineral Nutrients
Translocation of Sugars
Adaptations for Water Storage
Food and Water Storage Organs
The Effects of Tropisms and Other Growth Movements
Plant Hormones
Tropisms - Phototropism, Geotropism, Thigmotropism, Other Growth Movements
Chemical Growth Modifications

This course is taught by:

Katie Freeth
BSc. (Hons) Horticulture, (University of Bath); RHS General Examination; FI Hort; MIfpra.

An experienced and professional horticulturist with extensive management skills gained internationally; experienced in landscape management, staff supervision and management, written and oral communication, horticultural knowledge and application, supported by organisational and administrative skills and attention to detail.

Katie brings 20 years experience in Horticulture and is an accomplished lecturer, horticulture consultant and freelance writer. Katie is a judge for the International Awards for Liveable Communities in the Whole City Category.
Katie also worked for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in France for approx 5 years first as a Sector Manager and then as an Area Manager; management of the cemeteries, peripatetic teams of gardeners (UK & French nationality) for the constructed cemeteries and memorials and static French nationality gardeners for small town/village plots.

Susan Stephenson
BSc in Applied Plant Biology (Botany) Univ. London 1983.
City and guilds: Garden Centre Management, Management and Interior Decor (1984)
Management qualifications in training with retail store. Diploma in Hort level 2 (RHS General) Distinction.

Susan Stephenson is a passionate and experienced horticulturist and garden designer. She has authored three books, lectures at 2 Further and Higher Education Colleges, teaching people of all ages and backgrounds about the wonders of plants and garden design, and tutors many students by correspondence from all over the world.

Susan studied botany at Royal Holloway College (Univ of London) and worked in the trading industry before returning to her first love plants and garden design. She is therefore, well placed to combine business knowledge with horticulture and design skills. Her experience is wide and varied and she has designed gardens for families and individuals. Susan is a mentor for garden designers who are just starting out, offering her support and advice and she also writes, delivers and assesses courses for colleges, introducing and encouraging people into horticulture and garden design.

Susan is a Professional Associate and exam moderator and holds the RHS General with Distinction. She continues to actively learn about horticulture and plants and (as her students will tell you) remains passionate and interested in design and horticulture.

She also supervised the Area Arboriculture Team and was Exhumations Officer€“ in charge of collecting discovered remains and arranging identification (if poss) and interment of same.
Learning Goals: Botany I - Plant Physiology And Taxonomy BSC104

Understand the relationship between the scientific principles of this unit and horticultural practices
Demonstrate a knowledge of the Plant Kingdom and understanding of the taxonomic hierarchy
Identify and describe the different types of plant cells and tissues, their structure and function
Determine the role and function of specific vegetative parts of the plant
Determine the role and function of the reproductive parts of the plant
Demonstrate an understanding of the role and function of the seed in the life cycle of the plant
Explain the mechanism and the role of photosynthesis in the metabolism of plants and relate to plant growth in controlled environments
Explain the mechanism and the role of respiration in the metabolism of plants
Demonstrate an understanding of the role of water in the plant
Review the movement of water, solutes and assimilates through the plant
Understand the effects of tropisms and other plant movements on growth and development
Undertake risk assessments relevant to the learning outcomes in this course

Practicals:

Prepare a collection of forty pressed, dried, labelled plants
Learn how to key out plants using a Botanical Key
Identify the phyla, family, genus and species of ten unknown plants
Identify modified plant parts on live plants
Describe in botanical terms leaf shapes from a range of different plants
Dissect and draw labelled diagrams of several flowers
Collect fruits and categorise them by type (pome, drupe, etc)
Germinate seeds and describe changes that occur to the seeds over time
Observe changes in potted plants under varying levels of sunlight and relate this to photosynthesis
Observe transpiration in live plants and relate this to theoretical knowledge
Observe and record osmosis in an experimental situation
Observe and record phototropism in plants