PLANT MORPHOLOGY AND EVOLUTION

Prerequisites & course information

Requisites: ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY/BOTANY 151 , BOTANY/BIOLOGY 130 , ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY 101 , BIOCORE 381 , or graduate/professional standing Course Designation: Core GenEd - Natural Science & Wellness + Lab Breadth - Biological Science Level - Intermediate L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Spring 2025 Learning Outcomes: 1. Observe and describe plant roots, stems, leaves, and reproductive organs. Develop skills in natural history observation and description through the careful examination of roots, stems, leaves, and plant reproductive organs. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 2. Practice the comparative method by documenting patterns of variation and modifications of plant organs. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 3. Exercise detailed scientific writing through a series of laboratory reports focused on leaf venation, morphometric analysis, and fern gametophyte development. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 4. Apply use of both dissecting and compound microscopes for studying micromorphological structures of plants. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 5. Interpret familiarity with primary scientific literature in the broad area of plant morphology, including paleobotany and phylogenetics. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 6. Summarize an understanding of plant diversity (bryophytes, lycopods, ferns, seed plants) and the evolutionary processes that have shaped it. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 7. Through discussion, translate opposing perspectives on a scientific controversy in the field of plant morphology. Audience: Graduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Observe and describe plant roots, stems, leaves, and reproductive organs. Develop skills in natural history observation and description through the careful examination of roots, stems, leaves, and plant reproductive organs. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 2. Practice the comparative method by documenting patterns of variation and modifications of plant organs. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 3. Exercise detailed scientific writing through a series of laboratory reports focused on leaf venation, morphometric analysis, and fern gametophyte development. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 4. Apply use of both dissecting and compound microscopes for studying micromorphological structures of plants. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 5. Interpret familiarity with primary scientific literature in the broad area of plant morphology, including paleobotany and phylogenetics. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 6. Summarize an understanding of plant diversity (bryophytes, lycopods, ferns, seed plants) and the evolutionary processes that have shaped it. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 7. Through discussion, translate opposing perspectives on a scientific controversy in the field of plant morphology. Audience: Graduate