ENV BIOL 3009 - Ecophysiology of Plants III

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2018

This course explores interactions between plants and their environment from a physiological perspective. It will consolidate and extend knowledge of the processes involved in the acquisition and transport of resources by plants and use this knowledge to examine the ways plants have adapted to a range of environments, some of which can be considered as extreme. The course will also look at how plants respond to environmental challenges such as climate change, salinisation and heavy metal toxicity. Interactions with other organisms will also be examined including mycorrhizas and parasitic plants. Practical work will include small group experiments and a compulsory three day field trip in the mid-semester break. Two oral presentations will be prepared and delivered by small groups after the mid-semester break.

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Course Details

Course Code	ENV BIOL 3009
Course	Ecophysiology of Plants III
Coordinating Unit	School of Biological Sciences
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 6 hours per week, plus field trip
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Assumed Knowledge	ENV BIOL 2500
Assessment	Practical Reports; Field trip report; Poster of the field report; Group lecture topic presentation; Exam

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr John Goodfellow

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students should be able to:

1.     Explain the concepts of plant resource acquisition, plant energy budgets and plant water relations and plant to symbionts and          parasite interactions.

2.     Explain how these concepts help understand ecological systems with a particular focus on the South Australian context.

3.     Acquire then demonstrate the skills to design and undertake experiments in the laboratory and in the field using cutting edge
        analytical equipment.

4.     Work collaboratively to undertake experiments in the laboratory and in the field, produce written reports and deliver oral reports.

5.     Collect, analyse interpret and present field data in the format of a peer reviewed scientific report as well as discuss the finding in the context of the current literature.

6.     Demonstrate confidence in self-directed learning through the production and presentation of a lecture topic.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1, 2, 3
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	5
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	4, 6
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	3
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	4, 6
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	6

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Course Handbook

Recommended Resources

Text books:
Taiz & Zeiger (2010) Plant Physiology. 5th ed. Sinauer Assoc. Mass, USA

Lambers, Chapin, & Pons (2008) Plant Physiological Ecology. 2nd ed. Springer-Verlag, New York, USA

These texts are available for purchase from UniBooks or Encompass Books. There are copies of each in the Barr-Smith Library Reserve Collection. In addition, the Lambers et al. text is available as an ebook online through the library catalogue.

Online Learning

MyUni:
Teaching materials and course documentation will be posted on the MyUni website (http://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/).

Learning & Teaching Modes

The course consists of lectures, practicals, a field camp and oral presentations. The practicals and field camp are designed to complement and reinforce material presented in lectures, and to provide students with experience of data collection, analysis, and report writing. Students will also develop skills with laboratory and field-based techniques commonly used in the discipline of Plant Ecophysiology.

A range of teaching methodologies will be used, including traditional lectures as well as lectures prepared and presented by students in small groups. Laboratory-based practicals and a field-based project will be undertaken in groups of 3 to 4 students promoting the collaborative approach to science. Students are strongly encouraged to attend the field camp which will operate over three days in the second week of the mid-semester break. Students will be expected to participate in peer assessment of group oral presentations of the lectures and field camp reports.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

A student enrolled in a 3 unit course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies required. This includes both the formal contact time required to attend the course (e.g., lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).

Learning Activities Summary

Schedule
Week 1	Lecture Lecture Practical	Abiotic Stress 1 – Salinity Abiotic Stress 2 – Acid soils Prac 1: Abiotic Stress Week 1
Week 2	Lecture Lecture Practical	Abiotic Stress 3 – Heavy metals Plant and Soil Analysis Prac 1: Abiotic Stress Week 2
Week 3	Lecture Lecture Practical	Plant Stress – Light 1 Plant Stress – Light 2 Prac 2: Light Acclimation Week 1
Week 4	Lecture Lecture Practical	Photosynthesis – C4 Photosynthesis - CAM Prac 2 Light Acclimation Week 2
Week 5	Lecture Lecture Practical	Parasitic Plants – Physiology Parasitic Plants – Ecological roles No practical
Week 6	Lecture Lecture Practical	Water Relations 1 Water Relations 2 Prac 3: Water Relations Week 1
Week 7	Lecture Lecture Practical	Transpiration: leaf, stem and root Transpiration: cavitation & embolism Prac 3: Water Relations Week 2
Week 8	Lecture Lecture Practical	Energy Budgets in leaves 1 Energy Budgets in leaves 2 Field Trip planning
Mid-semester break Field Camp
Week 9	Lecture Lecture Practical	Mycorrhizas: Structure and function Mycorrhizas: Ecological impacts Field Trip Review
Week 10	Lecture Lecture Practical	Plant Respiration 1 Plant Respiration 2 Field Trip report
Week 11	Lecture Lecture Practical	Global Change: Rising CO2 Global Change: Climate change Field Trip report DUE
Week 12	Lecture Lecture Practical	Global Change: UV

Specific Course Requirements

All students must attend the 3-day Field Camp to Brookfield Conservation Park. The field camp will be held in the mid-semester break.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Hurdle	Weighting	Learning Outcome	Approximate Timing of Assessment
Practical reports (3)	Formative/Summative	No	30%	1, 9,10	Weeks 1-7
Field Trip report	Formative/Summative	No	15%	1, 8-10	Week 11
Group Field Trip Oral Presentation	Formative/Summative	No	5%	9-13	Weeks 11 & 12
Group Lecture Topic Presentation	Formative/Summative	No	10%	9-13	Weeks 9, 10 & 11
Exam	Summative	No	40%	1-7	Sem 2 Exam Period

Assessment Detail

Practical 1 will be submitted in the form of a consultant’s report and submitted individually. Practicals 2 & 3 and the field camp report are to be prepared as if you were submitting a scientific paper to the journal New Phytologist. Practicals 2 and 3 are submitted individually. The field trip report is submitted in groups of 3-4.

A 10 min oral presentation based on the field trip report will be prepared by the group members that undertook the field based report and presented to the class in the lecture time in week 10. Peer assessment will contribute to the
grade for this task.

A 15 min oral presentation prepared and delivered by groups of 3-4 students in the form of a lecture and chosen from a list of topics provided to the class will be delivered in the lecture times in weeks 11 and 12. Peer assessment will contribute to the grade for this task.

Submission

Practical Reports and the Field Camp Report are to be submitted by midnight on the due date.

All Reports are to be submitted electronically in MyUni using the Turnitin Assignments feature.

Extensions for Assessment Tasks
Extensions of deadlines for assessment tasks may be allowed for reasonable causes. Such situations would include compassionate and medical grounds of the severity that would justify the awarding of a replacement examination. Evidence for the grounds must be provided when an extension is requested. Students are required to apply for an extension to the Course Co-ordinator before the assessment task is due. Extensions will not be provided on the grounds of poor prioritising of time.

If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply.
A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days or more late without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the mark.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator