Leaves to Landscape

This subject is not offered in 2013.

Estimated total time commitment (including non-contact time): 120 hours

Students undertaking this subject will be expected to regularly access an internet-enabled computer.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject provides an introduction to plant structure, function, diversity and ecology and explores how these interact with landscape, climate, and production systems. While the subject deals with plant basics, it focuses on knowledge required for managing vegetation.

Topics include:

• Leaves, how they develop and how they shape the plant body and contribute to reproduction (plant life-cycles)
• Leaves and energy (leaves as the primary light harvesting organ that supplies energy for most living things)
• Leaves and water (roots, transpiration, responding to water stress and salinity)
• Leaves and canopies (plant architecture, canopies and acclimation/adaptation
• What leaves produce (stems and bark)
• Diversity of plants (including those without leaves)
• Leaves and their interactions with other species, including humans, and the landscapes they shape

Students taking BIOL10004 (650-141) Biology of Cells and Organisms (BSc) as a Breadth subject will be exempt from this subject.

At the completion of this subjects students should:

• Have a knowledge of the basic processes of plant physiology
• Be familiar with the structure and function of plants
• Understand the mechanisms of plant reproduction, growth and development
• Have an overview of plant diversity and the place of plants in natural and anthropogenic ecosystems.

This subject is intended to provide students, who have not completed first year BSc biology, with sufficient biological background for subsequent subjects in the Landscape Management stream.

Excursion reports (30%); ongoing assessment of practical exercises and laboratory problems during the semester (25%); a 2-hour written examination in the examination period (45%).

Raven, P.H., Evert, R.F. and Eichorn, S.E. (2005) Biology of plants. 7th edition. W.H. Freeman and Co. Publ. New York, USA. ISBN 0-7167-1007-2

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Music

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

On completion of this subject, students should have developed their:

• Ability to observe and record information about the physical world
• Ability to interpret data
• Ability to prepare written reports.

Students taking BIOL10004 (650-141) Biology of Cells and Organisms (BSc) as a Breadth subject will be exempt from this subject.

This subject is intended to provide students, who have not completed first year BSc biology, with sufficient biological background for subsequent subjects in the Landscape Management stream.