Basics of plant physiology

This UE is a transversal UE of L2 SV aiming at giving to the students in Biology a basic knowledge on the functioning of plants allowing to understand the current stakes of the plant Agro-sciences.

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

essential experimental approaches: plant transgenesis, direct and reverse genetics

basics of autotrophy

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

auxin, a major hormone for the development of plants and their response to the abiotic environment

The practical sessions will allow students to manipulate the regulation of water nutrition in plants and to analyze their mineral nutrition using different biochemical assays (flame photometry, spectrophotometry). 

Knowledge:

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

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

Know-how :

Analyze simple experiments, scientific data, graphs.

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

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

 Know how to be :

Scientific curiosity and rigor

Acquisition of critical thinking skills

Teamwork (work in pairs)

Biochemistry and molecular biology of the cell 1 & 2