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Teaching GuideTerm Faculty of Science |
| Grao en Bioloxía |
 Subjects |
| Plant Systematics: Phanerogamia |
| Contents |
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| Identifying Data | 2019/20 | |||||||||||||
| Subject | Plant Systematics: Phanerogamia | Code | 610G02025 | |||||||||||
| Study programme |
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| Descriptors | Cycle | Period | Year | Type | Credits | |||||||||
| Graduate | 2nd four-month period |
Third | Obligatory | 6 | ||||||||||
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| Topic | Sub-topic |
| Lectures. Part I. Plant Evolution | Unit 1 - Alternating life cycles in the green lineage: From mosses to seed plants. Unit 2 - The megasporangium, the ovule and the seed. Homologies across the different alternating life cycles. Unit 3 - Taxonomy of land plants with alternating life cycle. The concept of plant species. Morphological taxonomy and phylogeny. Unit 4 - Palaeoecology of the earliest land plants. Rhynie and the fossil forest of Gilboa. Main floristic transitions between the Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic. Unit 5 – Biological innovations of Gymnosperms and Angiosperms. Bases of seed plant biodiversity. Unit 6 - Plan Evolution Mechanisms. Reticulate evolution. Asexual reproduction, hybridization and polyploidization. Self-pollination and cryptic speciation. |
| Lectures. Part II. Pollination and dispersal | Unit 7 – Pollination. Mutualism and parasitism in pollination. Pollination systems and plant biodiversity. Unit 8 – Pollination in Gymnosperms. Adaptations to anemophyly in Gymnosperms and alternate pollination systems. Diversity of Gymnosperms. The Anthophyta theory. Unit 9 – Angiosperms and their pollination. Totally or partially anemophylous Angiosperms. Salicaceae, Fagaceae and Betulaceae. Unit 10 – Zoophyly in angiosperms. Adaptations to zoophyly in some plant families common in NW Iberian Peninsula. Asteraceae, Ericaceae, Fabaceae and Lamiaceae. Unit 11 – Other mechanisms of pollen dispersal. Marine angiosperms. |
| Lectures. Part III. Agriculture | Unit 12 – Agriculture: Growing and domesticating. Domestication syndromes. Bottlenecks, selection, hybridization and polyploidization. Unit 13 – The grasses and their domestication processes. Domestication in other economically important families: Solanaceae, Brassicaceae, Apiaceae and Rosaceae. |
| Lectures. Part IV. Biogeography | Unit 14 – Floristic kingdoms. Phytochorology: distribution areas. Potential vegetation and vegetation series. Endemic, rare, threatened and invasive plants. |
| Seminars (2 hours) | Seminar 1: Gymnosperms: compared analysis of their life cycles. Basic concepts on Gymnosperms. The students will take a test on the diversity and characteristics of Gymnosperms. Seminar 2: Angiosperms: study of their life cycle. Compared analysis of the life cycles of angiosperms, gymnosperms and heterosporous ferns. The students will take a test on the life cycles of angiosperms, gymnosperms and heterosporous ferns Seminar 3: Angiosperms. Compared analysis among the most important families in herbaceous, shrubby and forest plant communities in NW Iberian Peninsula. Seminar 4: Angiosperms. Study of economically important plant families. Analysis of plant groups adapted to extreme environments. Biogeography and plant conservation. |
| Fieldwork | Seed plant diversity in Galicia. We will observe plant diversity in areas that are especially important due to their endemicity, the rarity of their flora, etc. |
| Laboratory sessions | Lab session 1. Phylogenetic analysis. Build a small phylogenetic tree of cultivated and wild wheats. Lab session 2. Gymnosperms diversity. Identification, structure and comparative analysis of female cones from Subclass Ginkgoidae and Pinoideae (Families Taxaceae, Pinaceae, Cupressaceae -including Taxodiaceae-). Lab session 3. Classification of fruits. Flowers, Inflorescences and Fruits. Lab session 4. Angiosperms diversity I. Forest trees. F. Fagaceae, Betulaceae, Salicaceae, Oleaceae, Adoxaceae/Caprifoliaceae. Identification, structure and analysis of pollination and/or dispersal. Lab session 5. Angiosperm diversity II. Shrubs. F. Fabaceae, Ericaceae, Cistaceae, Rosaceae, Lamiaceae. Identification, structure and analysis of pollination and/or dispersal. Lab session 6. Angiosperm diversity III. Herbs (Rosidae, eu-dicots). F. Apiaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Primulaceae. Identification, structure and analysis of pollination and/or dispersal. Lab session 7. Angiosperm diversity IV. Herbs (Lilianae, monocots). Asphodelaceae, Poaceae, Juncaceae, Alliaceae, Iridaceae. Identification, structure and analysis of pollination and/or dispersal. |
| Learning-service | The students will acquire some of the skills programmed in the course through collaborative research work with NGOs. This activity is organised as alternative to the Projects described below. |
| Projects | Two projects will be carried out. Both projects will focus on the study of different morphological, biological and evolutionary traits of the spermatophytes. Special attention will be paid to plant diversity in NW Iberian Peninsula. This task is organised as alternative to the learning-service described above. |
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