Biology and Diversity in Phanerogams
Code: 100803 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | OT | 4 |
Contact
- Name:
- Merce Galbany Casals
- Email:
- merce.galbany@uab.cat
Teachers
- Lorenzo Saez Goņalons
- Pau Carnicero Campmany
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
It is desirable, and will help the follow-up of the course, that students are familiar with basic knowledge of botany, phylogeny and plant evolution.
Objectives and Contextualisation
This course deals with basic aspects related to the biology and diversity of the Spermatophytes. Its general objective is to train the students in the main theoretical aspects and in the applicable methods in research or management initiatives in the field of the inventory of the biodiversity. The specific objectives are the following:
(1) To provide a scientific framework that integrates information from various scientific disciplines and allows the study of seed plants diversity.
(2) To address the study of plant biodiversity from an evolutionary perspective.
(3) To understand the main biological, evolutionary and ecological processes that determine seed plants diversity.
(4) To gain knowledge about the differential characteristics, and the reproductive, biological, ecological and corological aspects, as well as human applications, of the main Mediterranean plant families.
Competences
- Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
- Analyse and interpret the development, growth and biological cycles of living beings.
- Be able to analyse and synthesise
- Develop a sensibility towards environmental issues.
- Identify and classify living organisms.
- Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
- Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
- Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse a situation and identify its points for improvement.
- Analyse and interpret the development, growth and biological cycles of plants.
- Be able to analyse and synthesise.
- Critically analyse the principles, values and procedures that govern the exercise of the profession.
- Develop a sensibility towards environmental issues.
- Identify and classify the plants.
- Propose new methods or well-founded alternative solutions.
- Propose viable projects and actions to boost social, economic and environmental benefits.
- Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
Content
Topic 1: Introduction to Spermatophytes: origin, evolution, characteristics and main groups.
Topic 2: Evolution and main mechanisms of speciation. Hybridization and introgression: implications.
Topic 3: Apomixis: Problematic groups of plants with apomictic reproduction mechanisms.
Topic 4: Biological strategies of the Spermatophytes. Analysis of the different vital forms and examples of the variation of the spectrum of biological forms.
Topic 5: Reproductive strategies of spermatophytes. Pollination. Autogamy and allogamy: implications. Mechanisms to avoid auto pollination.
Topic 6: Reproductive strategies of the Spermatophytes: Analysis of the different dispersion mechanisms and examples.
Topic 7: Gymnosperms: characteristics, evolutionary trends and study of different groups.
Topic 8: Angiosperms: characteristics, evolutionary trends and study of the different groups.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Field practices | 18 | 0.72 | 2, 6, 12, 5 |
| Laboratory work | 12 | 0.48 | 6, 7, 12 |
| Lectures | 18 | 0.72 | 4, 2, 13, 11, 9, 10, 3 |
| Seminars | 6 | 0.24 | 4, 1, 8, 10, 5 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Autonomous field work | 60 | 2.4 | 2, 6, 12, 11, 9, 10, 5, 3 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Study | 30 | 1.2 | 4, 2, 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 12, 11, 9, 10, 5, 3 |
The subject is based on the combination of the following teaching typologies:
(1) lectures or theory classes in a whole group. The theoretical concepts and methods of the discipline are explained and the most complex and important points of the syllabus are highlighted and addressed. They will serve as a basis for students to complement it with bibliographical information and non-face-to-face study. The theoretical sessions are 50 minutes long and will be carried out using audiovisual material prepared by the teaching staff and that the students will have available on the Virtual Campus.
(2) seminars. Resources and tools specific to the discipline are discussed in a practical and participatory way, some of which are necessary for the development of the assessable work, and specific problems or cases of current study are presented.
(3) laboratory practices. Students will have fresh plant material and the appropriate equipment, tools and bibliography to learn to interpret the vegetative and reproductive structures of angiosperms and to identify the species studied with the guidance and support of the teaching staff.
(4) field trips. With the guidance and support of the teaching staff, various areas of special interest will be visited to learn about the plant diversity representative of ecosystems in the Iberian northeast, including numerous endemic species and those of biogeographic interest. The sites visited will allow for the analysis and discussion in the field of various aspects covered in theoretical classes, seminars and practicals related to the vital strategies of spermatophytes, their morphological and functional diversity, adaptations to the environment, and their threats and conservation status.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autonomous field work | 30% | 0 | 0 | 2, 6, 12, 11, 9, 10, 5, 3 |
| Practical exam | 30% | 3 | 0.12 | 2, 6, 7, 12, 5 |
| Theoretical exam | 40% | 3 | 0.12 | 4, 1, 7, 8, 13, 12, 11, 9, 10, 5, 3 |
The assessment consists of a theory block and a practical block. A minimum grade of 4 must be obtained in each of the two blocks to be assessed for the subject.
Theory block:
Theoretical exams: a set of essay questions related to the theoretical syllabus and seminars. There will be two eliminatory partial exams, each of which will have a weight of 20% of the final grade for the subject. It is necessary to obtain a grade equal to or greater than 4 in each of the two partial exams to be assessed for the subject.
Each of the two parts of the theoretical block can be recovered in a recovery exam that will be similar to the partial exam and will have the same weight in the final grade.
Practical block:
Practical exam: a test that will consist of the identification and description of plants. Laboratory and field practices will help acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully pass this test, which will have a weight of 30% of the final grade of the subject.
Autonomous field work: consists of the preparation of a floristic catalog of an area of free choice. To carry out this work, students will have the guidance of the teaching staff during the seminars and laboratory practices.
In this work, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed exclusively in the bibliographic or information search or the correction of texts, but not in the analysis and discussion of results. The use of automatic plant identification tools is also allowed. In all cases and aspects in which an AI tool has been used, the student must clearly identify which parts of the text have been generated or corrected with this technology, which species have been automatically identified, specify the toolsused in each case, and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The lack of transparency in the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered a lack of academic honesty and will lead to a partial or total penalty in the grade of the activity, or greater sanctions in serious cases. This work will have a weight of 30% of the final grade of the subject.
It is necessary to obtain a grade equal to or greater than 4 in the practical exam and in the work to be able to be assessed for the subject.
The practical block is not recoverable.
Students will obtain the grade of "Not assessable" when the assessment activities carried out have a weighting of less than 67% in the final grade.
SINGLE ASSESSMENT:
For students who have requested it in accordance with the regulations, the single assessment of this subject consists of:
-A single synthesis test in which the contents of the entire theory program and seminars of the subject will be evaluated. The exam will consist of essay questions. The grade obtained in this synthesis test will represent 40% of the final grade of the subject and it is necessary to obtain a grade equal to or greater than 4 to be assessed for the subject. The single assessment test will be held on the same date set in the calendar for the last theory test of the continuous assessment (date of the second partial exam) and the same recovery system will be applied as for the continuous assessment.
-The evaluation of the practical activities will follow the same process as the continuous assessment. The grade obtained in the practical block will represent 60% of the final grade for the subject. Students who take the single assessment will take the practical exam coinciding with the same date set in the calendar for the last theory test of the continuous assessment (date of the second partial exam). The practical exam will have a weight of 30% of the final grade and will also consist of the identification and description of plants. The autonomous field work must be submitted on the same date established for the continuous assessment or on the date set in the calendar for the last theory test of the continuous assessment (date of the second partial exam), as agreed with the students during the course. The work will have a weight of 30% in the final grade for the subject and will follow the same rules as in the case of the continuous assessment. As in continuous assessment, it is necessary to obtain a grade equal to or greater than 4 in the practical exam and the assignment in order to be assessed for the subject. There is no retake of either of these two assessment activities.
Students will obtain the grade of "Not assessable" when the assessment activities carried out have a weighting of less than 67% in the final grade.
Bibliography
TEXT BOOKS AND DICTIONARIES OF BOTANY:
AGUILELLA, A. & F. PUCHE (2004). Diccionari de Botànica. Universitat de València. València.
BRESINSKY, A. et al. (2013). Strasburger’s Plant Sciences (Including Prokaryotes and Fungi). Springer. Berlin. [Electronic resource available at UAB]
CHRISTENHUSZ, M.J.M.; M.F. FAY & M.W. CHASE (2017). Plants of the world: an illustrated encyclopedia of vascular plant families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
FONT i QUER, P. (1963). Diccionario de Botánica. Labor. Barcelona.
IZCO, J.; E. BARRENO; M. BRUGUÉS; M. COSTA; J. DEVESA; F. FERNÁNDEZ; T. GALLARDO; X. LLIMONA; C. PRADA; S. TALAVERA & B. VALDÉS (2004). Botánica. Ed. 2. Mc Graw-Hill Interamericana. Madrid.
MASALLES, R.M.; J. CARRERAS; A. FARRAS; J.M. NINOT & J.M. CAMARASA (1988). Plantes superiors. Història Natural dels Països Catalans. Vol. 6. Enciclopèdia Catalana. Barcelona.
SIMPSON, M.G. (2010). Plant Systematics, 2nd Ed. Burlington, MA. Academic Press.
VARGAS, P. & R. ZARDOYA (Eds.) (2012). El árbol de la vida. Sistemática y evolución de los seres vivos. Museo Nac. Ciencias Naturales.
WILLIS, K.J. & J.C. McELWAIN (2014). The Evolution of Plants. 2nd edition. Oxford University Press. Oxford.
FLORAS, IDENTIFICATION KEYS AND REGIONAL RED BOOKS:
BOLÒS, O. & J. VIGO (1984-2001). Flora dels Països Catalans. 4 vols. Ed. Barcino. Barcelona.
BOLÒS, O.; J. VIGO; R.M. MASALLES & J.M. NINOT (2005). Flora manual dels Països Catalans. Ed. Pòrtic. 3a ed. Barcelona.
CASTROVIEJO, S. et al. (Eds.) (1986-2021). Flora iberica. Plantas vasculares de la Península Ibérica e Islas Baleares. CSIC. Madrid.
CASTROVIEJO, S. et al. (Eds.) (2001). Claves de Flora iberica. I. Real Jardín Botánico-CSIC. Madrid.
LÓPEZ, G. (2001). Los árboles y arbustos de la Península Ibérica. 2 vols. Ediciones Mundi-Prensa. Madrid. [Electronic resource available at UAB]
SÁEZ, L., P. AYMERICH & C. BLANCHÉ (2010). Llibre Vermell de les plantes vasculars endèmiques i amenaçades de Catalunya. Argania Editio. Barcelona.
INTERNET RESOURCES:
Floristic works and checklists:
Flora iberica: http://www.rjb.csic.es/floraiberica/
All volumes available: http://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/spa/Volumenes.php?Libro=473
SÁEZ, L. & P. AYMERICH (2021). An annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Catalonia (northeastern Iberian Peninsula). Barcelona : Kit-book Serveis Editorials. Barcelona. 717 p. Disponible online: https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/records/item/1765134-an-annotated-checklist-of-the-vascular-plants-of-catalonia
Digital herbaria and plant images:
La flora del nostre entorn: www.floracatalana.cat
Herbari virtual de la Mediterrània Occidental: http://herbarivirtual.uib.es/cas-med/
Global Biodiversity Information Facility in Spain: http://www.gbif.es
Herbari virtual de la Universitat de Barcelona: http://www.bib.ub.edu/cedocbiv/herbari-virtual/
Images de la Flore de France: http://ifdf.free.fr/index_fr.htm
Information on plant biogeography, taxonomy and conservation:
Banc de dades de Biodiversitat de Catalunya: http://biodiver.bio.ub.es/biocat/homepage.html
Projecte Anthos Espanya: http://www.programanthos.org
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/
Endangered species: http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Software
There is no specific software in this course.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PCAM) Field practices | 241 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (PCAM) Field practices | 242 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 241 | Catalan | second semester | afternoon |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 242 | Catalan | second semester | afternoon |
| (SEM) Seminars | 241 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 24 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |