This course offered at the master's level focus on important environmental issues and how to tackle them. The course teaches the concept the ecosystem, biogeochemical cycles and energy flow. Key environmental issues such as – greenhouse gases, micro-plastics, sewage, heavy metals, synthetic fertilizers, stubble burning, ozone and UV-B, pest attacks, and glacier retreat are discussed. Microbes and plants as biosensors for environmental monitoring. Biodiversity and conservation, Phytotechnologies for the environment.
The course covers essential concepts of Ecology and Evolution including Population Ecology, Community ecology , Ecological succession, Biosphere and Ecosystem, Phytogeography, Evolution And Diversity, Natural Selection and Variation, Evolutionary Genetics, Adaptation and Natural Selection, Speciation, Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetic trees.
Introduction to Plant Taxonomy and Systematics, Origin and Objectives of the Plant Systematics, Taxonomic Hierarchy, Species concept and speciation, Principles and Procedures of Plant Identification and Nomenclature
Developing Classifications and Systems of Classifications: Phylogenetic systematics: Phenetic and Cladistics methods, Homology assessment, Character state transformation series and polarity, Phylogenetic data analysis, Rooted and unrooted trees, Apomorphic characters, Systems of Classifications.
Evolution and diversity of plants: Bryophytes, Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms and flowering plants.