Fundamentals of Plant Physiology

This course is a cross-disciplinary course in the second year of the SV program designed to provide biology students with a fundamental understanding of how plants function, enabling them to grasp the current challenges in plant agricultural sciences.

The following basic concepts of plant physiology and functional biology will be studied: 

Key experimental approaches: plant transgenesis, forward and reverse genetics

Fundamentals of Autotrophy

mechanisms underlying the major stages of angiosperm development: meristem function, floral transition, and fertilization.

auxin, a key hormone involved in plant development and their response to the abiotic environment

The laboratory sessions will allow students to experiment with regulating plant water uptake and to analyze plant mineral nutrition using various biochemical assays (flame photometry, spectrophotometry). 

Knowledge:

Understand the functional biology approach, which integrates genetic, physiological, cellular, molecular, and biochemical perspectives.

Gain knowledge about the nutrition, growth, and development of higher plants.

Expertise:

Analyze simple experiments, scientific data, and graphs.

Master the scientific method: hypothesis, experiments (replicates, controls), data analysis, interpretation, and conclusion.

Master various styles of written and oral expression in French; develop rigorous scientific reasoning.

 Interpersonal Skills:

Scientific curiosity and rigor

Developing Critical Thinking Skills

Teamwork (Pair Work)

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Cell 1 & 2