This is the main syllabus for Dr. Tiftickjian’s course in Plant Anatomy (BIO 410/510). If this is your first visit, you will probably want to read this page from beginning to end. Some of the links below will take you to sections on this page; others will take you to pages with additional and more detailed information. You can return to this page from any other Plant Anatomy page by clicking the “Syllabus” button found at the top and bottom of each page.
To keep up with the latest information on lecture topics, reading assignments, and other announcements, visit the Course Outline page which shows the lecture schedule and provides links to the latest items of interest to students enrolled in the course.
|
• Course outline and schedule |
|
||||||||||||||||
General course description
The primary objective of the course is to gain an understanding of the internal structure of vascular plants. The emphasis will be on the angiosperms (flowering plants) but consideration of certain features of gymnosperms and lower vascular plants will be made where appropriate for comparison. Further objectives are to discuss the functional significance of plant structure as much as possible and to consider the development and phylogeny of the plant tissues and organs. Because complete interpretation of plant function, classification, ecology, etc. depends on a good basic understanding of plant structure, plant anatomy is important to all areas of botany.
Course objectives
After completing this course, students should be able to:
- differentiate between the basic systematic groups of vascular plants: ferns and fern allies, gymnosperms, and angiosperms.
- understand the hierarchy of plant structure by learning the basic features of plant cells, tissues, and organs.
- relate the structure of particular types of cells and tissues to their functions.
- compare structural differences among different taxa of vascular plants.
- interpret the basic pattern of plant growth from different kinds of meristems and understand the relationships between primary growth and secondary growth.
- appreciate the complexity of the seed plant life cycle and understand the structure of the parts that are involved in the various stages of reproduction.
- describe some of the ways in which the structure of a plant part is related to survival in the kind of environment in which the plant lives.
- appreciate that a plant is a product of its genes and that differences in plant structure can ultimately be traced to the genes present and how they are regulated.
- appreciate that all plants are products of natural selection and that interpretation of plant anatomy can only make sense in light of evolution.
- interpret some of the hypothesis explaining the phylogenetic development of certain cells, tissues, and organs.
- make connections between plant anatomy and the other major disciplines of biology, including taxonomy, cell biology, physiology, genetics, biochemistry, and ecology.
Expected preparation
Most students enrolled in the class should have had a year of general chemistry and a year of general biology (full admission status for DSU biology majors). All students, regardless of major, certainly should have taken a enough general biology or general botany to have been introduced to the basic biology of plants. This course builds on that foundation. If you have not taken the prerequisites, you must check with me before continuing in the course.
The textbook
This is the first semester that we have used the Integrative Plant Anatomy book. Dr. Dickison takes a different approach that other plant anatomy texts. He attempts to combine several areas of botany, and even areas like agriculture, anthropology, and the arts, into his discussion of plant structure. I think this new approach may be interesting to a wider variety of students that texts we have used in the past.
The book still covers the tradition aspects of plant cells and tissues, so the basic structure or the course will not change much. However, we will try to delve into some areas that we have not in the past. We will not have the time to cover the entire book in detail, but will focus primarily on the sections that cover the basic structure of the tissues and organs of the plant, the relationship between structure and function, the consequences of particular anatomical features to ecological factors, and the phylogeny of anatomy and how it relates to systematics.
Besides the campus bookstore, there are other sources you might want to check for the best price. Several online book sellers carry the book, both new and used. If you consider buying online, remember to consider shipping costs and how soon the book will get to you. If it takes longer than a couple of days, you may get behind on your reading assignments.
Lecture format
This is a pretty traditional lecture/lab class. I try to make lectures as much discussion-oriented as possible, so you are encouraged to make comments and ask questions at any time. The enrollment in the course is usually very small, so we have lots of opportunity for one-on-one conversations. Try to read each textbook assignment before it is covered in class. That way you will already have some background to base intelligent discussion on. Anatomy is to large part a descriptive science, so there will be a lot of new terminology to learn. However, you should not try to simply memorize. You will be expected to develop an understanding of principles, not just to memorize facts. Lectures will be presented with this philosophy in mind.
Much of anatomy is visual. We will incorporate images of plant structure into lecture wherever possible. All lecture outlines and images will be accessible though this website.
Laboratory format
The laboratory component of the course is almost exclusively microscope work. Each lab period will consist of examination of plant specimens, primarily using the compound microscope. In addition to the regularly weekly meeting time, the laboratory will be available at most times when Caylor Hall is open. You are encouraged to visit the lab at your convenience whenever you need additional study time. Most of the specimens used are permanent prepared slides and are available whenever needed.
The lab room is equipped with a digital projection system interfaced with a microscope. This system will be used to guide your exploration of the lab materials. The system allows for the capture of images that can be posted to the website for later review.
More details on the structure and grading of lab work will be explained during the first lab meeting.
Course web site
Right now you are reading the home page of the course website. Here you will find class news, assignments, lecture outlines, and other information that will be useful. Note that this is not an “online” course, but should be considered “Web-enhanced.” You are not often required to make use of the this website, but it is strongly recommended. You will find materials here that may not be in the textbook or covered completely in lecture, but all the online content is designed to enhance the course and help to improve your grade. You should check the site frequently as it is constantly changing. The most important page is the course outline page that shows an updated schedule of lecture and lab topics, reading assignments, and homework assignments. You will also find most of the lecture outlines, micrographs and other images of plant cells and tissues, and links to related information on the Internet.
Assignments and testing
Lecture exams will consist mostly of short essay questions plus a few objective items (usually multiple-choice). Material for exams will be taken from lecture, text readings, and sometimes outside reading assignments. The final exam is comprehensive. The lab exams will be “practical” exams, one at mid-term and one at the end of the semester.
Other assignments. There may be some additional assignments depending on how things develop during the semester. Sometimes I have ideas for new things to try which will count toward your grade. These usually take the form of short papers or special lab projects.
Graduate students (BIO 510) are required to do a bit more work. This will probably take the form of a more in-depth paper to be presented to the class. More information on this later.
Checking your grades
You can check your current grade online at a secure web page. You must log in with a unique password so no one but you will be able to see your grades. You will receive your password shortly after the course begins. Note that this web page is independent of the Blackboard system used by Delta State. The login ID and password you might be using for another course through Blackboard will not work for Dr. T's courses.
Other course policies
See the course policies page for additional information on attendance, grading policy, dropping the course, etc.
Delta State University > Biological and Physical Sciences > Dr. Tiftickjian > Plant Anatomy
