Welcome to the world of plants. You will learn about plants in a 'hands-on' way by conducting your own experiments and by preparing a collection of pressed, dried, plants.
Duration: 100 hours
COURSE AIMS
On completion of this course, students will be able to:
Demonstrate relationships between the scientific principles of this unit and horticultural practices
Demonstrate a knowledge of the Plant Kingdom and understanding of the taxonomic hierarchy
Identify and describe the different types of plant cells and tissues, their structure and function
Determine the role and function of specific vegetative parts of the plant
Determine the role and function of the reproductive parts of the plant
Demonstrate an understanding of the role and function of the seed in the life cycle of the plant
Explain the mechanism and the role of photosynthesis in the metabolism of plants and relate to plant growth in controlled environments
Explain the mechanism and the role of respiration in the metabolism of plants
Demonstrate an understanding of the role of water in the plant
Review the movement of water, solutes and assimilates through the plant
Understand the effects of tropisms and other plant movements on growth and development
Undertake risk assessments relevant to the learning outcomes in this unit
COURSE STRUCTURE
The course is divided into 10 lessons as follows:
1. Taxonomic Classification of Plants - History of taxonomy, Binomial system, Levels of classification, Families, Principle of priority, Name changes, Hybrids, Varieties, Cultivars, Abbreviations, Botanical keys, Key to Phyla, etc.
2. Cells and Tissues
3. Specific Vegetative Parts of a Plant
4. Flowers and Fruit
5. Seed and the Developing Embryo
6. Photosynthesis and Growing Plants
7. Respiration
8. The Role of Water
9. Movement of Water and Assimilates through a Plant
10. The Effects of Tropisms and Other Growth Movements
WHAT YOU WILL DO IN THIS COURSE
During this course, students will:
Prepare a collection of forty pressed, dried, labelled plants
Learn how to key out plants using a Botanical Key
Identify the phyla, family, genus and species of ten unknown plants
Identify modified plant parts on live plants
Describe in botanical terms leaf shapes from a range of different plants
Dissect and draw labelled diagrams of several flowers
Collect fruits and categorise them by type (pome, drupe, etc)
Germinate seeds and describe changes that occur to the seeds over time
Observe changes in potted plants under varying levels of sunlight and relate this to photosynthesis
Observe transpiration in live plants and relate this to theoretical knowledge
Observe and record osmosis in an experimental situation
Observe and record phototropism in plants
