Plant ecophysiology in a global change perspective
Summary
Land ecosystems provide food, energy and materials to humans. They also exert strong control over the global cycles of carbon, nutrients and water, thereby influencing the Earth’s climate. On this course, you will learn about how plants physiologically respond to environmental conditions and ongoing global change, as well as how this in turn affect large-scale ecosystem processes and climate. The course prepares you for working with issues related to plants, ecosystems and global change in authorities, companies, NGOs or the academia.
About
How does global warming affect forests in cold and hot regions? What are the implications of climate change for food crop production? What is the influence of vegetation on the climate system and the rate of climate change? These are examples of urgent questions that are addressed on this course.
On this course, you will gain advanced knowledge on how the physiology, functioning and growth of land plants respond to different environmental factors, and how these responses in turn affect large-scale ecosystem processes such as biomass production, carbon storage, water and nutrient cycling, and local to global climate regulation. Particular emphasis is placed on plant and ecosystem responses to global change factors such as warming, rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, altered precipitation, and air pollution.
The course is highly interactive and contains, in addition to lectures, practical work in the field and laboratory, discussion seminars, theoretical exercises, and individual and group projects with student presentations.
Teaching
The course consists of about 10 weeks of full-time studies and is divided into a theoretical part (9 credits) followed by a practical part (6 credits). Except lectures, all course components are compulsory, since they develop the skills and approaches that are included in the learning objectives in a way that is not possible through self-study. Examination takes place through a written examination, active participation in seminars and exercises, as well as student presentations of individual and group projects. The course is given in English.
Prerequisites and selection
Entry requirements
30 credits in Biology and an additional 30 credits of passed in-depth courses in Biology / Environmental Science / Chemistry / Geology / Physics.
Selection
Selection is based upon the number of credits from previous university studies, maximum 165 credits.
After graduation
Facilities
Teaching is conducted in the Natrium building, on Medicinareberget in Gothenburg (Medicinaregatan 7B).
