PLSCI 4460 - Plant Behavior and Biotic Interactions, Lecture

Spring. 3 credits.

Co-meets with BIOEE 4460/BIONB 4460.

A. Kessler, T. Pawlowska, R. Raguso.

How do plants respond to antagonists, such as herbivores and pathogens? What are the checks and balances that keep mutualist organisms in their tight interactions? How are symbioses organized on molecular, metabolic and ecological levels? What are the molecular, plant hormonal, and metabolic mechanisms mediating plant biotic interactions with other organisms? What ecological and evolutionary consequences do these interactions have for the fitness of the plants and their interactors? This course provides an overview of plants’ myriad interactions with antagonists and mutualists, from microbes to multicellular organisms, and explains the underlying ecological and evolutionary concepts. It gives an introduction to the study of induced plant responses in the light of a behavioral biology framework.

For learning outcomes, see BIOEE 4460 .