2024
Applied Botany
Name: Applied Botany
Code: BIO12362L
6 ECTS
Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours
Scientific Area:
Biological Sciences
Teaching languages: Portuguese
Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese, English
Regime de Frequência: Presencial
Presentation
In this CU, plants are treated according to their societal and economic value (useful and toxic plants; plants with an impact on the course of history; invasive plants and global environmental problems; plants and health; plants and crime...).
Sustainable Development Goals
Learning Goals
After completing this course, the student should be able to: know plants based on their botanical characteristics and their value in our everyday lives, both from a societal and economic perspective; have the ability to identify and describe the impact of economic botany on the environment and society; have an understanding of useful and toxic plants and be able to summarize relevant information on important plants; be aware of the main invasive plants in Portugal and the advantages and disadvantages of the various control mechanisms; have a basic knowledge of global environmental problems and of integrated environmental management procedures; have the ability to use rigorous scientific language, develop autonomous work and accomplish further independent learning; have the ability to employ critical thinking to solve problems in environmental botany and supporting fields.
Contents
1. Plant interactions with their environment: plant evolution and functional adaptations.
2. Plant-animal interactions: pollination and diaspore dispersal; mechanical and chemical defenses.
3. Economic botany: history and evolution of useful plants; plant resources (eg edible, aromatic, medicinal and ornamental plants, wood, resins and paper products, fiber plants and oils; weeds.
4. Plants and society: allergy plants; drugs; plants and landscape; plants in art and religion; forensic botany.
5. Global environmental problems: plants and pollution (e.g. phytoremediation), carbon sequestration and climate change; invasive plants.
2. Plant-animal interactions: pollination and diaspore dispersal; mechanical and chemical defenses.
3. Economic botany: history and evolution of useful plants; plant resources (eg edible, aromatic, medicinal and ornamental plants, wood, resins and paper products, fiber plants and oils; weeds.
4. Plants and society: allergy plants; drugs; plants and landscape; plants in art and religion; forensic botany.
5. Global environmental problems: plants and pollution (e.g. phytoremediation), carbon sequestration and climate change; invasive plants.
Teaching Methods
Programmatic issues will be introduced through theoretical exposition using an array of various technological means. Study materials will be available on-line. Exercises will be conducted to analyse and discuss case studies based on scientific papers. Field trip or an alike activity will be carried out for illustration of study cases. The contact with specific themes or cases, presented by invited speakers, will be an asset for the teaching of the curricular unit.
A final exam (35%) will be combined with a monograph on a syllabus topic (35%) and exercises based on scientific papers or specific problems analysis (30%).
A final exam (35%) will be combined with a monograph on a syllabus topic (35%) and exercises based on scientific papers or specific problems analysis (30%).
Certificações
