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Instructor:

Stephen K. Herbert, Department of Botany, Rm 135 Aven Nelson Building, Phone 766-4353, e-mail sherbert@uwyo.edu

Office Hrs:

9-10AM MWF or by appointment

Meeting time and place:

8:00 to 8:50 AM MWF, Rm 223 Aven Nelson Building

Text:

Plant Physiology by L. Taiz and E. Zeiger, current edition

Laboratory

Botany 4400 includes laboratory sessions. Lab activities and infromation are avaiable on a separate laboratory syllabus.

Course objectives

Plant physiology is the study of how plants work. The emphasis of this course is plant function at the level of the organism. To understand organisms, however, it is necessary to understand the functions of their cells and biological molecules. We will spend most of our time considering what cells and molecules do in the intact plant, which is the emphasis of modern plant physiology. For examples of modern plant physiology, refer to the journal Plant Physiology published by the American Society of Plant Biologists.

The specific objective of this course is for you to understand the following:

 1. How plants work. This includes:

a. How plants manufacture biological molecules (metabolism).

b. How plants acquire and transport raw materials for growth.

c. How plants grow and develop throughout their lives.

d. How plants interact with their environment.

 2. What's new in plant physiology. Like most areas of biology, plant physiology is experiencing an explosion of new discoveries and new ideas. We will discuss some of the new topics in plant physiology and why they are considered important.

3. How plant physiology relates to other fields in biology. Most of you will never be plant physiologists. For this course to be valuable to you, you must understand how plant physiology interconnects with agricultural, forestry, environmental science, genetics, the health sciences, and other fields. Throughout the course, connections between plant physiology and other areas of knowledge will be emphasized.

4. How plant physiology will shape the future. As students, you must consider the future and your role in it. Plant biotechnology is putting plants to many new uses and improving them for old ones. Plants can now be used to grow plastics and fuels, to remove toxic wastes from soils, and to produce vaccines and drugs. Agriculture and forestry practices have been altered by new crop varieties that resist stress, pathogens, herbicides, and post-harvest losses. These developments in plant biotechnology are derived from knowledge of plant physiology and plant genetics. As scientists, business people, teachers, consumers, voters, and parents, you must contribute to intelligent decisions about how plants should be used to improve the human condition. To prepare you for this, we will discuss the role of plant physiology in the future throughout the course.

Grades

Letter grades will be awarded based upon the percentage of total points earned in the course as shown below. There will be no curving of scores.

Point values of assignments and exams are listed below. The total is 700.

Exams

Exams will be given in the usual meeting room or in an alternative location to be announced. Dates of exams will be announced during the second week of class. Exam questions will be multiple choice, matching, and short essay. Some questions will ask you to complete a diagram or work an equation. Some short essay questions may be synthetic, meaning that you will be presented with a situation that we have not discussed in class and must reason to a conclusion using what you have learned. For short answer or essay questions, points will be awarded based on the how much of the complete answer has been conveyed. Points will not be awarded for ambiguous expression of an answer, which includes poor spelling, grammar, or usage. For matching or multiple choice questions, points will be awarded for correct responses and subtracted for incorrect responses. Exam dates are in the schedule below.

Homework

One writing and four homework assignments will be given throughout the semester. Your writing assignment will consist of three drafts of a minireview on a plant physiology topic of your choice. Drafts 2 and 3 should be revised to account for comments made on previous drafts. You will be given a provisional grade on each draft and the grade will be raised to account for your revisions in drafts 2 and 3. Due dates for homework and writing are in the schedule below. The minireview is worth 60 points. Homework assignments are worth 10 points each.

Plagiarism and academic dishonesty

Plagiarism means presenting someone else's writing as your own. This includes copying with slight changes and direct quotes without quotation marks. Plagiarism is a serious offense. It corrodes the university system and defeats the educational efforts of our society. A first case of plagiarism will result in zero points awarded to all parties involved for the writing assignment in which the plagiarism occurred. A second case will result in punishment to the full extent allowed by University regulations. To avoid plagiarism, I suggest the following steps when writing:

1. Consult your written sources and take notes.

2. Discuss the topic with fellow students and take notes.

3. Discuss the topic with the instructor and take notes.

4. Take your notes with you and write alone.

5. Do not show your writing to other students.

I reserve the right to use plagiarism detection software to determine if material has been taken from the internet without attribution. Do not make the mistake of cheating in this way. If you need more time or other help, I will work with you. If you cheat and I catch you, I will punish you out of respect for the honest students.

Academic dishonesty (cheating) on exams and other assignments will also result in zero points for all parties involved and more serious consequences for second offenses. Academic dishonesty and plagiarism are further defined in University Regulation 802, Revision 2.

Late Papers

Homework and papers may be turned in late if arrangements are made ahead of time with the insructor. No credit can be given for any work turned in after May 5, however.

Incompletes

Grades of incomplete will be awarded at the discretion of the instructor. Incompletes will be given only under extraordinary circumstances.

SCHEDULE OF LECTURES

Reading is from the textbook, Taiz and Zeiger. The schedule below covers the first week of Spring semester.