Plant Diversity

Recommended Prerequisites

General knowledge in botany.

Teaching Methods

Lectures with the use of highly illustrated powerpoints and videos.

Practicals: interactive and highly participative teaching.

Field-work: interactive and highly participative teaching.

Learning Outcomes

The aim of the course is to provide students with (i) knowledge on plant main evolutionary events leading to land colonisation; (ii) understanding of the reasons for present plant diversity; (iii) ability to relate the main taxonomic ranks to the main evolutionary events; (iv) observation skills required for the identification of the Portuguese flora.

At the end of the course the student should be able:

1. To recognise and use fundamental concepts in the field of Plant Diversity

2. To collect, analyse, synthetize and process information in a significant way for the identification of plants.

3. To develop oranisational skills adequate to field work and an ethical attitude in collecting wild material.

4. To become autonomous in searching scientific literature on paper and online within the issues here discussed.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Classifications

2. Land colonisation. Problems and solutions: (i) growth, reproduction, dispersal and establishment inside and out water; (ii) reduction of the gametophyte and expansion of the sporophyte, vascular tissue and seed. Pteridospermopsida and Gymnospermopsida.

3. Spermatophytina and gymnosperms: diversity and controversy. Primitive characters:  (i) Cycadopsida, mobile male cell; (ii) Ginkgopsida, imediate germation of seed. Derived characters: (i) Pinopsida, non-flagellated male cell; (ii) Gnetopsida, complex female gametophyte.

4. Magnoliopsida. Critical analysis of distinctive characters. Evolution of floral morphology.

5. Evolution in Magnoliopsida. Continental drift and barriers. First Magnoliopsida: flowers and dinosaurs. APG III.

6. In troduction to the Portuguese plant diversity and field techniques. Identification of Portuguese plants.

Head Lecturer(s)

Sílvia Raquel Cardoso Castro Loureiro

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Resolution Problems: 10.0%
Mini Tests: 25.0%
Exam: 65.0%

Bibliography

•Ingrouille, M. & Eddie, B. (2006). Plant.s Diversity and evolution. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.

•Judd, W.S., Campbell, C.S., Kellogg, E.A. & Stevens, P.F., Donoghue, M.J. (2007). Plant systematics. A phylogenetic approach. 3ª ed. Sinauer Ass.: Sunderland, U.S.A.

•Raven, P.H., Evert, R.F. & Eichhorn, S.E. (2003). Biology of plants. 6ª ed. Freeman & Co. Worth Publishers: New York.

 

•Bell, A.D. (1991). Plant form. An illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology. Oxford University Press.

•Amaral Franco, J. (1991-98). Nova flora de Portugal. Lisboa.

•Coutinho, A.X.P. (1936). Flora de Portugal. 2ªed. de R.T. Palhinha Lisboa.

 

www.gbif.org

herbario-digital.bot.uc.pt/

www.mnhn.fr/fr/collections/ensembles-collections/botanique

www.rbgkew.org.uk/collections/herbcol.html

www.rbge.org.uk/

www.rjb.csic.es/floraiberica/

www.ildis.org/LegumeWeb/

www.rbgkew.org.uk/herbarium/gramineae/wrldgr.htm

www.orquideasibericas.info/

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8339.20