Plant Biology and Physiology

Plant Biology
The plant cell and its main peculiarities: vacuole, cell wall, plastids
Osmosis, turgor pressure and the importance of the cell wall
Apoplast and symplast: water potential and water transport at the cellular level through membranes and plasmodesmata
Plant tissues and angiosperm anatomy: stem, leaves, roots, flowers.
Sexual and asexual reproduction
Plant life cycles, alternation of generations
Basics in seed development and nutritional value (starch, lipids, proteins)
Asexual reproduction and apomixis
Plant systematics: monocots, dicots and major plant groups
Plant hormones: auxin, cytokinin and growth
Photomorphogenesis (light receptors and action spectra), phototropism and gravitropism
In vitro cultures (organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis)
Plant domestication: seed dispersal and dormancy
Mechanism of action of auxin; other plant hormones (gibberellin, ethylene and brassinosteroids)
Plant Physiology
Cell-to-cell and across membrane transport
Nernst equation, pumps, channels and transporters. Active and passive transport
Cohesion-adhesion-tension theory and transpiration
Photosynthesis and the structure of the photosynthetic apparatus; synthesis of ATP and NADPH and their role in the Calvin and photorespiratory cycle; C4 and CAM cycles
Stomata opening and abscisic acid
Starch and sucrose synthesis
Absorption, transport and assimilation of nutrients, nitrogenous compounds in particular
Long-distance transport (xylem and phloem)

Lab course (1 CFU): experiments will be performed on material and methods presented during the course
Reference texts
Plant Biology Raven Biology of Plants, Eighth Edition by Ray Evert, Susan Eichhorn, publ. Freeman
Plant Physiology: AAVV. (2012) Elementi di fisiologia vegetale (a cura di Nicoletta Rascio)