Plant Ecology

Course unit

title

Scientific direction

Scientific code

Faculty

Department (s)

Plant Ecology

Biology N 010

Life Sciences Center

Institute of Biosciences

Mode of studies

Number of credits

Mode of studies

Number of credits

Lectures

0

Consultations

1

Self-studies

5

Seminars

2

Aims of course

The aims of the course are to deepen doctoral students' fundamental knowledge of abiotic and biotic factors in plant populations, plant life strategies and their population structure, symbiosis phenomena, plant response mechanisms to abiotic and biotic stress and methods for studying these phenomena in cells, tissue, organ, organism and population levels.

Main topics

1) Ecology of stress, classification of abiotic and biotic stress, concept of stress; 2) biotic stress: herbivory, infection (plant-pathogen interaction), allelopathy; 3) abiotic stress: response to changes in lighting, temperature, humidity, climate change; 4) adaptation, plasticity, bioindication; acclimatisation, aclimation; 5) methods for assessing, monitoring and predicting the response of plants to stress; 6) plant thermal, nitrogen and carbon balances; 7) the impact of atmospheric and other anthropogenic pollution on plants, the ecological significance of air and its components; 8) plant symbiosis: interaction with rhizobia and endophytic fungi, mycorrhiza; 9) plant functional groups, biomorphs and life strategies, competition and other interactions among plants; 10) composition and ecology of plant populations and communities, problem of definition of plant individuals.

Main literature

Beck C. B., 2010: An Introduction to Plant Structure and Development: Plant Anatomy for the Twenty-First Century. – Cambridge.

Gurevitch J., Scheiner S. M., Fox G. A., 2006: The Ecology of Plants. – Sunderland.

Karazija S., 2008: Miško ekologija. – Kaunas.

Kupčinskienė E., 2011: Aplinkos fitoindikacija. – Kaunas.

Schulze E. D., Beck E., Mueller-Hohenstein K., 2005: Plant ecology. – Berlin, Haidelberg.

Seckbach J. (ed.), 2004. Symbiosis: Mechanisms and Model Systems. – New York (eBook ISBN: 0-306-48173-1. Print ISBN: 1-4020-0189-4).

Assessment strategy

Assessment criteria

Exam or seminar presentation.

The exam is written and oral, and consists of 5 open questions that require detailed answers. Two points are awarded for a correct and complete answer to an every question, 1 point for an incomplete or partially correct answer, 0 points are awarded for an incorrect answer or no answer at all.

Requirements for the seminar: duration of the seminar – about 60 minutes, duration of the oral presentation – 30-40 minutes, duration of the discussion – 20-30 minutes. At least 20 scientific publications must be discussed at the seminar. A printed and electronic presentation of the oral report must be submitted before the seminar.

Evaluation criteria:

• structure, scope and duration of the seminar report (the structure is clear and logical, there are all the necessary parts (introduction, the topic and its relevance, goals and objectives are presented;), the work is of appropriate scope (3 points);

• Analysis and conclusions: the analysis is detailed, the conclusions are substantiated, formulated on the basis of the analyzed material (5 points); if the analysis is performed but not complete, the conclusions are not always substantiated, 2.5 points are awarded, no points are awarded for a superficial analysis;

• scientific style: sources and citations are treated appropriately; wording, style and citation of sources meet the requirements of the scientific work (2 points).

Ernestas Kutorga

Radvilė Rimgailė-Voicik

Dr. (HP)

Dr.

Prof.

Assist.

Approved by the Council of Graduate School of Life Sceinces Center No 600000-…-… on the …. of …… 2021

Chairman