Sessions (BOT 317)
Session 1: Evolutionary Theory, Taxonomy, and Prokaryotes
Session Objectives:
Define taxonomy, the binomial nomenclature system, and how are plants ordered
Accurately define evolution, including how evolution occurs, and the causal agents
Describe cladistics, and construct a simple phylogenetic tree from a character chart
Define convergent evolution and give examples from the plant world
Describe the three domains of life and provide examples of each
Questions for Thought
What is evolution?
How does evolution occur? What are the agents?
What is classification?
What is taxonomy and how are plants ordered?
What is cladistics?
Could you make a cladogram from a character chart?
What are the domains of life?
What is a prokaryote?
What are Bacteria?
What unique role do bacteria play in the environment?
How are they important for horticulturists?
How are they different from the other domains?
What are Archaea?
Where could I find Archaea?
What important role do they play in the environment?
Session 2: Bryophytes (Nonvascular plants)
This session begins the Plants (Archaeaplastida) and covers the group of organisms called the bryophytes; the non-vascular plants that are spore-bearing
Lecture
Bryophytes PowerPoint
Notes
Groups covered
Mosses (e.g. Bryum, Polytrichum, Mnium)
Liverworts (e.g. Conocephalum, Marchantia)
Hornworts (e.g. Phaeoceros)
Laboratory
Male gametophyte, moss (l.s. prepared slide)
Female gametophyte, moss (l.s. prepared slide)
Moss gametophyte with a sporophyte (living specimen)
Session objectives:
Describe the differences between haplontic, diplontic, and diplo-haplontic life cycles
Understand the similarities and differences between the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts
Sight-identify any of the bryophyte groups
Describe the moss life cycle, indicating where meiosis and fertilization occur
Explain how a bryophyte life cycle is different from all other land plants
Questions for Thought
What does "non-vascular" mean?
What is spore-bearing? How are spores formed in a plant lifecycle?
What aspect of the bryophyte life cycle is different from all other land plants?
What life cycle (i.e. haplontic, diplontic, haplo-diplontic) does a moss exhibit?
How do mosses sexually reproduce? What process creates sperm and egg in mosses (or any plant)?
What is a synapomorphy for hornworts?
How does the lack of vascular tissue limit bryophytes? How is it an advantage?
What does the sporophyte of a moss look like?
How do mosses, liverworts, and hornworts all disperse spores?
What characters unite all "bryophytes"?
Session 3: Pteridophytes (Sporebearing, vascular plants)
This session continues the Plants (Archaeaplastida) and covers the group of organisms called the Pteridophytes; the vascular plants that are spore-bearing
Lecture
Pteridophyte PowerPoint
Notes
Groups covered
Clubmosses (e.g. Lycopodium)
Spike-mosses (e.g. Selaginella)
Whisk ferns (e.g. Psilotum)
Horsetails (e.g. Equisetum)
True ferns (e.g. Nephrolepis, Polystichum)
Laboratory
Fern sorus (w.m. slide)
Fern gametophyte (w.m. slide)
Whisk fern, Psilotum (living)
Session objectives
Sight-identify any of the pteridophyte groups
Describe the fern life cycle, indicating meiosis and fertilization
Understand the similarities and differences between clubmosses and ferns
Explain how pteridophytes are different from all other land plants
Questions for Thought
Where does meiosis occur on a fern or lycopod (or any plant)?
Where does fertilization occur on a fern or lycopod?
What is a "pteridophyte", and why is this a useful term?
How is the life cycle of a pteridophyte different from a bryophytes? How is it similar?
What does the gametophyte of a true fern look like?
What does the sporophyte of a horsetail (Equisetum) look like?
What does the sporophyte of a whisk fern (Psilotum) look like? Why is this considered ancestral? Which features are considered derived?
What is a synapomorphy for the lycopods?
How do ground pines (i.e. Lycopodiales) differ from spike-mosses (i.e. Selaginellales)?
Session 4: Gymnosperms (Seedcone-bearing plants)
This session continues the Plants (Archaeaplastida) and covers the group of organisms called the Gymnosperms; the plants that bear seed-cones
Lecture
Notes
Groups covered
Cycads (e.g. Cycas, Zamia)
Ginkgo (e.g. Ginkgo biloba)
Conifers (e.g. Pinus, Araucaria, Juniperus)
Gnetophytes (e.g. Ephedra, Gnetum, Welwitschia)
Laboratory
Female cone, Pinus (l.s. slide)
Male cone, Pinus (l.s. slide)
Ginkgo (living)
Session objectives:
Sight-identify any of the gymnosperm groups
Describe the conifer life cycle, indicating meiosis and fertilization
Explain how gymnosperms are different from spore-bearing plants, especially the ovule
Understand the similarities and differences between cycads, Ginkgo, conifers, and the gnetophytes
Questions for Thought
What features do all gymnosperms exhibit?
How is an ovule different from a sporangium? Evolutionarily, what structures do they share in common?
What features characterize a cycad?
How are the gnetophytes similar to and different from angiosperms?
What features of Ginkgo are considered derived for a gymnosperm?
What aspects of a conifer's life cycle are different from a fern?
Where in the conifer lifecycle can you find male and/or female gametophytes?
What adaptations do conifers possess to survive cold and dry environments?
How are gnetophytes similar to angiosperms? how are they more similar to other gymnosperms?
Session 5: Angiosperms (Flowering / Fruiting plants)
This session ends the Plants (Archaeaplastida) and covers the group of organisms called the angiosperms, or the flowering and fruiting plants
Lecture
Angiosperm PowerPoint
Notes
Groups /topics covered
Basal angiosperms (e.g. Amborella)
Magnoliids (e.g. Magnolia, Asimina)
Monocots (e.g. Zea, Areca, Phalenopsis)
Eudicots (e.g. Phaseolus, Quercus)
Laboratory
Germinating pollen (w.m. slide)
Ovary with ovules (x.s. slide)
Session objectives:
Describe the angiosperm life cycle, indicating meiosis and fertilization
Explain how angiosperms are different from all other land plants
Understand the similarities and differences between gymnosperms and angiosperms
Questions for Thought
What feature(s) define angiosperms?
What is double fertilization? How might this give angiosperms an advantage over most gymnosperms?
Where does meiosis occur in the angiosperm lifecycle? Where does fertilization occur in the lifecycle?
What are the similarities and differences between gymnosperms and angiosperms?
Explain how angiosperms are still diplo-haplontic
How have angiosperm changed and evolved?
What is a pollination syndrome? Give an example
What impact have humans had on angiosperm evolution?
Session 6: Algae and Protists
This session covers organisms traditionally called "protists". These organisms are algae in the Chromalveolates, as well as algae related to the Plants (Archaeaplastida).
Lecture
Algae PowerPoint
Notes
Groups covered
Red algae (e.g. Polysiphonia)
Chlorophyte green algae (e.g. Ulva, Volvox)
Zygnematalean green algae (e.g. Spirogyra)
Charophyte green algae (e.g. Chara, Coleochaete)
Brown Algae (e.g. Ectocarpus, Macrocystis)
Dinoflagellates (e.g. Peridinium)
Diatoms (e.g. Bacillaria, Chaetoceros)
Water Molds (e.g. Saprolegnia)
Laboratory
Spirogyra green algae (w.m. slide)
2 phases: Vegetative cells, chloroplast
Cyanobacteria
Session Objectives:
Identify the synapomorphy for the Archaeplastida
Describe and draw the diplo-haplontic red algae life cycle
Define the terms filamentous, parenchymatous, and pseudo-parenchymatous
Describe the life cycle of Zygnematalean green alga, such as Spirogyra
Identify the synapomorphy for the Chromalveolates
Describe and draw the diplo-haplontic brown algae life cycle
Explain how water molds have impacted plants and humans
Explain why the diatoms are so ecologically significant
Explain why dinoflagellates are so ecologically significant
Questions for Thought
What is algae? What is a plant?
Where does meiosis occur on both Polysiphonia, Spirogyra, and Ectocarpus?
Where does fertilization occur on both Polysiphonia, Spirogyra, and Ectocarpus?
Why do red algae produce toxic terpenoids?
How is the red algae life cycle different from and similar to other haplo-diplontic life cycles?
Why are the Rhodophyta, red in color?
Why are the Charophyte green algae considered the closest living relatives to the land plants?
How is the life cycle of Spirogyra different from land plants?
Why is the term "protist" not very useful for evolutionary studies?
What life cycle (i.e. haplontic, diplontic, diplo-haplontic) does each group exhibit?
The brown algae are not closely related to land plants, but what aspect of their life cycle made past researchers assume an ancestor-descendant relationship?
How have the water molds impacted plants and human history?
Why are the diatoms so ecologically significant?
Why are dinoflagellates so ecologically significant?
What ecological niche(s) do the brown algae occupy?
Session 7: Fungi and Slime Molds
This session covers two groups of organisms called the fungi and the slime molds
Lecture
Notes
Groups covered
Basidiomycetes (e.g. Coprinus, Amanita)
Ascomycetes (e.g. Peziza, Morchella)
Chytrids (e.g. Batrachochytrium)
Mucoromycetes (e.g. Rhizopus)
Myxomycete slime molds (e.g. Physarum)
Laboratory
Coprinus mushroom (l.s. slide)
Peziza ascomycete (l.s. slide)
Rhizopus conjugation (w.m. slide)
Session objectives
Describe the differences between haplontic and diplontic life cycles
Define the terms coenocytic, plasmodium, siphonous, filamentous, monokaryotic and dikaryotic
Identify the synapomorphy for the Unikonts
Describe the features of slime molds (Mycetozoa), and how they differ from true fungi
Describe and draw the basidiomycete fungal life cycle
Identify common plant diseases caused by chytrids
Describe mycorrhizae and their impact on plants
Questions for Thought
What are some common plant diseases caused by chytrids?
What do the terms monokaryotic and dikaryotic mean, and how do they relate to the fungal life cycle?
Most fungi have a haplontic life cycle. Where and when could you find a diploid cell?
What are mycorrhizae, and how does this relate to mushrooms you may find around a tree?
How are the chytrids similar to the mucoromycetes?
How are chytrids similar to the slime molds?
How are mucoromycetes similar to the chytrids?
How is the life-cycle of a mucoromycetes similar to the club or sac fungi?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of being coenocytic?
Session 8: Ecology and Biomes
This session focuses on ecological theory and biomes of the world
Lecture
Ecology PowerPoint
Notes
Groups / topics covered
Laboratory
No Lab
Session objectives:
Understand a Whittaker graph, and its connection to climate and biomes
Give a general description of the abiotic and biotic features of the world's major biomes
Questions for Thought
What is the annual average temperature of a rain forest? grassland? taiga? desert?
What is the annual average precipitation of a rain forest? grassland? taiga? desert?
What adaptations are characteristic of rain forests? grasslands? taigas? deserts?
What is succession? What plants play a role in primary succession?
What symbioses have we discussed in this course?