COURSE DESCRIPTION

Physiology of Woody Plants; Fall 2009

This is a 3-credit lecture/lab course

CRN:  18653

Meeting times:  10:00-11:50 Tuesdays and Thursdays (on some lecture days the class will end at 11:30)

Meeting locations:  Peavy Hall, Room 276 (locations may vary for labs.  See the Detailed Syllabus and check for updates!!)

                       

LEAD INSTRUCTOR:  Barbara Bond
Office: Richardson Hall Room 330
Office hours: By appointment (preferred) or whenever you can find me
Phone: 737-6110
e-mail: barbara.bond@oregonstate.edu

 

CONTRIBUTING INSTRUCTORS: 

 

Kate McCulloh

kate.mcculloh@oregonstate.edu

 

Dan Johnson

dan.johnson@oregonstate.edu

 

Claire Phillips 

claire.phillips@oregonstate.edu

 

Renee Brooks

brooks.reneej@epamail.epa.gov

 Scroll down for more information..

 

 Goals and Context:

This course is designed for graduate students in natural resource sciences and plant sciences who desire a basic but broad understanding of how woody plants function. The overall goal is to prepare students to apply concepts and tools of woody plant physiology to today’s complex environmental research questions.

 

The course focuses on skills and knowledge that are especially critical in environmental research today.  Topics covered include structure and growth of trees and shrubs; light dynamics; and carbon, nutrient and water relations.  We start from general principals common to all plants and emphasize the unique properties of woody perennials.   Because environmental research is increasingly conducted by teams rather than by individuals, and because research tools are becoming increasingly complex, the course is structured to combine lectures with group projects and experiential learning. 

 

Structure: 

 

The course involves four components:

·         Lectures.  A little more than half of the class time is devoted to lectures.  Each lecture is accompanied by a detailed set of learning objectives.  A comprehensive exam near the end of the term measures the students’ accomplishments with respect to these objectives. 

·         Homework assignments.  Two homework assignments reinforce and extend concepts introduced in lectures.

·         Laboratory activities.  There are three lab activities, each designed to complement lecture topics and to introduce students to a variety of research techniques that are common in research involving woody plant physiology.  Most lab activities will be done in groups, but each student prepares an independent lab report that will be graded. 

·         Group projects.  Students will have a choice of joining one of four groups to conduct a term project .  Broad topics for each group will be described at the beginning of the term.  Some of the projects will focus on experimental investigations; others involve the use of process models.  Each project group will have a mentor who will help to guide the group and monitor their progress, but the mentors will not actually assign specific activities or topics – that is for the group to do among themselves.  The group project will contain components contributed by each group member as well as a synthesis and summary for the entire effort.  This group project will serve in lieu of a final exam. 

 

 

 Grading:

3 lab write-ups (10% each)                                                                             30%

            2 homework assignments  (5% each)                                                              10%

Midterm Exam                                                                                                30%

Group Project**                                                                                             30%

            (includes presentation and writeup)                                                                                       

 

**There is no final exam.  The final project is due at the time scheduled for the final exam




Percentage                   Grade

100                                          A+

93-99                                       A

90-92                                       A-

88-89                                       B+

83-87                                       B

80-82                                       B-

78-79                                       C+

73-77                                       C

70-72                                       C-

 

 Prerequisites:

Undergraduate instruction in chemistry (e.g., CH 221, 222, 223), organic chemistry (e.g., CH 331, 332), and plant physiology (e.g., BOT 331).

 

Texts/Readings: 

 

Required Text:

Pallardy, S.G.  2008.  Physiology of Woody Plants, 3rd edition.

Recommended supplementary text (if you don’t already have a good basic plant physiology text, this is the one to get!)

Taiz, L. and E. Zeiger.  2006.  Plant Physiology, 4th edition

 

Additional reading:

Before each lecture a list of recommended and supplementary readings will be posted on the on-line Detailed Syllabus.  These are mostly optional readings, suggested to help enhance and expand your understanding of the topic of the lecture.  But occasionally the posted readings are REQUIRED.  Be sure to check the website for required reading. 


OTHER USEFUL TEXTS: (AVAILABLE IN THE VALLEY LIBRARY)

Bazzaz, F. and J. Grace. 1997. Plant Resource Allocation. Academic Press.
Ehleringer, J.R. and C.B. Field. 1993. Scaling Physiological Processes: Leaf to Globe. Academic Press.

Epstein, E. and A.J. Bloom.  2005.  Mineral Nutrition of Plants:  Principals and Perspectives.  2nd Edition.  Sinauer Press. 
Gartner, B. 1995. Plant Stems, Physiology and Functional Morphology. Academic Press
Hall et al. 1993. Photosynthesis and Production in a Changing Environment. A Field and Laboratory Manual.
Jones, H. 1992. Plants and Microclimate, 2nd Edition. Cambridge University Press.
Kozlowski, et al., 1991. The Physiological Ecology of Woody Plants. Academic Press.
Kozlowski and Pallardy, 1997. Physiology of Woody Plants, 2nd Edition. Academic Press.
Lambers, H., F.S. Chapin and T.L. Pons. 1998. Plant Physiological Ecology. Springer-Verlag, New York

Landsberg and Gower, 1997. Applications of Physiological Ecology to Forest Management. Academic Press
Larcher, W. 1995. Physiological Plant Ecology, 3rd Edition

Michener, R. and K. Lajtha.  2007.  Stable Isotopes in Ecology and Environmental Science.  Blackwell Publishing.

Mooney, H., W.E. Winner and E.J. Pell. 1991. Response of Plants to Multiple Stresses. Academic Press.
Nobel, P.S. 2005. Physicochemical and Environmental Plant Physiology.  3rd Edition. Academic Press.
Pearcy, Ehleringer, Mooney and Rundel. 1991. Plant Physiological Ecology. Field Methods and Instrumentation. Chapman and Hall.

Raghavendra, 1991. Physiology of Trees. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Russell, G., B. Marshall and P.G. Jarvis. 1989. Plant Canopies: Their growth, form and function. CambridgeUniversity Press.
Schulze, E.-D. and M.M. Caldwell. 1995. Ecophysiology of Photosynthesis. Springer-Verlag.
Smith and Hinckley. 1995. Resource Physiology of Conifers: Acquisition, Allocation, and Utilization. Academic Press.
Smith and Hinckley. 1995. Ecophysiology of Coniferous Forests. Academic Press.

Waring, R.H. and S.W. Running.  2007.  Forest Ecosystems:  Analysis at multiple scales.  3rd Edition.  Academic Press.