Fall 2008

BSCI 442 Lecture

Professor Heven Sze

Teaching Assistants:
Courtney Hollender &
Maitreyi Chattopadhyay

Tu, Th 11:00-12:15 p.m.

hsze@umd.edu

chollend@umd.edu;
mchattop@umd.edu

HJ Patterson 2242

Bioscience Res Bldg 0120,
Tu, Th p.m. by appt.

Lab. HJP 2230

Lect.

Date

Topic

Reading

1

Sep 2

Introduction to course.  How is plant physiology related to your life?

Chap. 1

2

4

Review of the plant body: organs, tissues, and cells

1

3

9

Plant cells and walls

1, 15

4

11

Germination and water needs

3, 4

5

16

How is water transported?.

3, 4

6

18

Mineral nutrition (brief). 
How are solutes/nutrients transported across membranes? Quiz 1.

5, 6

7

23

Transport concepts: Active and passive transport generate electric potentials

6

8

25

Transporters in plants: pumps, cotransporters and channels

6

9

30

Ion transport in growth, movement, signaling, and stress tolerance.

6, 26

10

Oct 2

Oxygen Needs; discuss.

11 

11

7

Exam I. (lec. 1-10 & related labs)

12

9

Phloem translocation:

10

13

14

Photosynthesis:  Pigments and light absorption

7

14

16

Photosynthesis:  light energy is used to form ATP and NADPH

7

15

21

Photosynthesis:  ATP and NADPH are used to make sugars from CO_2.
Quiz 2. `

8

16

23

C4 and CAM: some plants develop mechanisms to fix CO₂ efficiently in adverse conditions

8

17

28

CO₂ fixed are converted to sucrose and starch for export and storage
Genetically-modified foods

8

18

30

Guest speaker: Elena del Campillo :.US Energy Mandate & Biofuels
[All plants reduce NO₃^- and incorporate NH₄ into amino acids]

12

19

Nov 4

N fixation:  Some plants can fix N₂ gas and convert it into amino acids.

12

20

6

Secondary metabolites. opium poppy.  Purple tomato. Discuss

13

21

11

Exam 2 (lec 12-20)

22

13

Flowering & Reproduction. Development of seed to mature plant depends on environmental stimuli

14, 16

23

18

Photomorphogenesis1 Guest speaker: Dr. Xiaoning Zhang

17, 18

24

20

25

25

Development depends on a balance of hormones, and genes of the developmental program.  Quiz 3

  19-24

26

27

Thanksgiving Break!

27

Dec 2

Plant hormones: auxins, cytokinins, GA, ABA, ethylene

19-24

28

4

How are hormonal signals transduced into specific responses?

29

9

Hormones (continued). Biotechnology

30

11

Last day of class.  Integration / Discussion.

Dec 15

Monday, Final Exam- 8:00-10:00 a.m.