Basics of plant physiology

This is a cross-disciplinary L2 SV course designed to provide Biology students with a basic knowledge of how plants function, enabling them to understand current issues in plant agro-sciences.

The following basic notions of Plant Physiology / Functional Biology will be studied: 

essential experimental approaches: plant transgenesis, direct and reverse genetics

basics of autotrophy

mechanisms underlying the main stages in angiosperm development: meristem function, floral transition, fertilization.

auxin, a major hormone in plant development and response to the abiotic environment

Practical work sessions will enable students to manipulate the regulation of water nutrition in plants and analyze their mineral nutrition using various biochemical assays (flame photometry, spectrophotometry). 

Knowledge :

Understand the functional biology approach, combining genetic, physiological, cellular, molecular and biochemical approaches.

Acquire knowledge of the nutrition, growth and development of higher plants.

 Know-how :

Analyze simple experiments, scientific data and graphs.

Master the scientific approach: hypothesis, experiments (replicates, controls), data processing, interpretation, conclusion.

Master the various registers of written and oral expression in the French language; develop rigorous scientific reasoning.

People skills :

Scientific curiosity and rigor

Critical thinking skills

Teamwork (practical work in pairs)

Biochemistry and molecular biology of the cell 1 & 2