BIOPL 3590 - [Biology of Grasses]

Spring. 2 credits.

Prerequisite: two majors-level biology courses or course in plant systematics or permission of instructor. Next offered 2014-2015. (Offered alternate years)

J. I. Davis.

Systematics and related aspects of the biology of the graminoid plant families (grasses, sedges, and rushes), with the principal emphasis on grasses. Major topics include phylogenetics, taxonomy, physiology, reproductive biology, speciation, and biogeography. The roles of graminoid plants in natural and human-disturbed environments are discussed, as are the origins of cultivated species.

Outcome 1: Dissect and interpret vegetative and reproductive structures of grasses and representatives of related families, using standard botanical terminology.

Outcome 2: Describe the overall phylogenetic structure of the grass family, and the characteristics of the major groups, including morphological, anatomical, and biochemical features such as C4 photosynthesis.

Outcome 3: Assign representative grasses to the major subfamilies and tribes by sight, assign representatives of related plant groups to the proper plant families, and identify grasses using a standard taxonomic manual.

Outcome 4: Discuss the history of human utilization of grasses, including major and minor food and forage crops, and the processes involved in the domestication of grasses.

Outcome 5: Describe the major ecological settings in which grasses are dominant, and the underlying ecological processes that operate in these communities.

Outcome 6: Discuss the major factors involved in the reproductive biology of grasses.