Autotrophy

This course presents the main functions of carbon, mineral and water nutrition of the plant that ensure its autotrophy (the production of its biomass). It will give the necessary basis for the understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of absorption, distribution and assimilation of nutrients. The course will be divided into two main parts, one dedicated to mineral nutrition and the other to carbon nutrition.

After a review of the properties of plant membranes and walls and the concepts of transmembrane transport, the part of the course dedicated to mineral nutrition will teach the mechanisms of water uptake and circulation, root uptake, subcellular compartmentalization and mineral distribution, as well as nitrogen assimilative metabolism.

The chapter dedicated to carbon nutrition will present the functioning of the chloroplast in the plant cell, photosynthesis (capture of light energy and synthesis of the first carbon compounds), the production of organic compounds and their allocation in the plant.

Knowledge:

- understand the mechanisms of transmembrane transport,

- know the main lines of carbon and nitrogen assimilation,

- master the different scales at which nutrition is approached: subcellular, tissue, organ, and whole plant.

Know-how :

- master a rigorous scientific approach in the study of plant nutrition mechanisms according to the scale considered,

- conduct rigorous scientific reasoning (TD),

- conduct experiments, analyze results, interpret them and draw conclusions (TP).

Know how to be :

- acquire an interest in plant biology,

- develop scientific curiosity and rigor,

- develop critical thinking skills,

- work in teams (practical work in pairs, group work in TD)

- basic knowledge of biochemistry and enzymology,

- basic knowledge of molecular biology, in particular gene expression and its regulation,

- basic knowledge of cell biology,

- basic knowledge of plant anatomy.