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Environmental Plant Physiology

Code: 100799
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Biology OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
Mercè Llugany Olle
Email :
merce.llugany@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Albert Gargallo Garriga

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

None

Objectives

Environmental Plant Physiology is an elective course taken in the second semester of the fourth year.

This course aims to provide both theoretical and practical knowledge about the mechanisms of plant adaptation to adverse conditions, which enable them to survive in a wide range of environments and climates.

Learning outcomes

  1. Be able to analyse and synthesise.
  2. Apply statistical and computer resources to the interpretation of data.
  3. Be able to organise and plan.
  4. Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  5. Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  6. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  7. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  8. Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  9. Analyse a situation and identify its points for improvement.
  10. Propose new methods or well-founded alternative solutions.
  11. Critically analyse the principles, values and procedures that govern the exercise of the profession.
  12. Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  13. Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  14. Carry out functional tests and determine, assess and interpret vital parameters in plants.

Contents

Theory:


Part A: Introduction to the physiology of stress.


1. Plants as systems open to the environment. Conditioning factors of plant growth and development
2. Concepts: stress, resistance and tolerance. Type of stress and resistance. Stress measure.
3.Perception and transduction of stress signals. Stress metabolites: ROS, hormones, and other stress metabolites.
Part B: Plant - Soil Relationship


4.Water as a stress factor. Homohydric and poikilohydric plants.
5. Water deficit. Drought. Mechanisms of resistance and tolerance.
6. Adaptations of resurrection plants.
7. Excess water. Hypoxia. Effects and responses. Case study: rice.
8. Adaptations of aquatic plants
Part B: Plant - Soil Relationship


9. Nutrients as a stress factor. rhizospheric processes.
10. Root exudates. PGPB, mycorrhizae and nodules. 
11. Adaptations of parasitic plants
12.Adaptations of carnivorous plants
13.Saline stress. Primary and secondary effects on plant physiology. Glucophyte and halophyte plants.
14.Adaptations of the halophytes; euhalophytes and crinohalophytes.
15.Ionic stress. heavy metals Toxicity and mechanisms of resistance and tolerance.
16.Case study: Hyperaccumulator plants. Phytoremediation. definition, advantages and disadvantages.
17.Adaptations to acid soils. Toxicity by Al and Mn.
18.Adaptations to carbonate soils. Strategies against Fe deficiency. Morphological changes of the root system.
Part C: Plant - Atmosphere Relationship


19.Adaptations to extreme temperatures. Gradual and sudden cold, freezing and heat. heat shock proteins. Preservation of climacteric fruits.
20.Adaptations to different lighting environments. Light deficiency. Excess radiation. Dynamic and chronic photoinhibition. 
21.Wind: Physiology and mechanical stress. adaptive growth. Harmful effects. bedridden. Protection measures.
22.Greenhouse effect. Individual and combined effects of CO2 and T on C3 and C4 plants - RubisCO.
23. Atmospheric pollutants. Acid rain, Sulfur dioxide, Ozone, PAN, Hydrofluoric, Particles (cement).


 


Lab practices:



Influence of light on plant growth
Effect of wind on the degree of stomatal opening
Influence of physical and chemical factors on the permeability of cell membranes
Influence of suboptimal phosphorus levels on acid phosphatase activity
Roots ability to modify the pH of the medium
Observation of aluminum penetration into roots by staining with hematoxylin

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Study 36 1.44 1, 3
Magistral lectures 30 1.2 1, 3, 12
Laboratory practices 20 0.8 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Tutorials 6 0.24 1, 3
Reports - Review 18 0.72 1, 3
Lecture of papers 30 1.2 1, 3

The teaching methodology combines magistral classes of 50 minutes with ICT support (available virtual campus) and work in the classroom to carry out a revision work. As well as tutorials, personal study, and laboratory practices where individual and team work is combined.

Laboratory practices are understood as an autonomous process based on guided observation and support material during practices. Students will also have to produce the results obtained, performing the relevant calculations with the teacher's support and, where appropriate, respond to the questions raised in the scripts / reports, reasoning their results. In these practices the student will work in small groups and will append to distribute the work.

The personalized or group tutorials will be used to clarify concepts, establish knowledge acquired and facilitate the study to the student.

Use of AI
For this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively for support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searches, text correction, or translations. For seminar/case study submissions, students must clearly identify which parts were generated using AI technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these tools influenced both the process and the final outcome of the activity. Lack of transparency regarding AI use in this assessed activity will be considered academic dishonesty and may result in partial or full penalties to the grade, or more serious sanctions in severe cases.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Written exam 2 30% 2 0.08 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 13
Review 15% 2 0.08 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 13
Oral defense 10% 2 0.08 1, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12
Written exam 30% 2 0.08 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 13
Laboratory practices 15% 2 0.08 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 14

The specific and transversal competences of this subject will be assessed by means of written tests (exams), memory of practices, questionnaires, and tutorials.

Written tests are eliminatory. The mark will be done with the half between the two partials, a minimum grade of 4,5 is required and to pass the subject a minimum final grade of 5.0 must be obtained in the written test and practices.

If you want to raise a note, you must complete the final test and in no case will the partial note be saved.


Laboratory practices: To pass the laboratory practicals, students must attend all sessions (except in duly justified cases, in accordance with UAB regulations). The laboratory report must be submitted via the Virtual Campus one week after the completion of the practical sessions.


The laboratory practicals account for 15% of the final course grade. An individual written examination will be held at the end of the last practical session and will account for 80% of the practicals mark. The laboratory report will be prepared in groups and will account for the remaining 20% of the practicals mark.


The review assignment is compulsory and consists of a written report (15%) and an oral presentation to the class (10%).


To participate in the recovery, students must have been previously assessed in a set of activities whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of two thirds of the total grade of the subject or module. Therefore, students will obtain the grade of \"Non-Assessable\" when the assessment activities performed have a weighting of less than 67% in the final grade.


This subject contemplates the single assessment that consists of a single summary test in which the contents of the entire theory program will be assessed and an oral defense of the review done by the student. The test will consist of questions on topics to be developed and the grade obtained in this synthesis test and the defense will account for 40% and 10% of the final grade of the subject, respectively. The assessment of practice activities and the delivery of the evidence will follow the same process as the continuous evaluation.


Any irregularity committed during an assessment activity (including academic fraud, plagiarism, or the improper use of AI, unless such use is expressly authorised in the course guide) that may lead to a significant alteration of the assessment result will result in that assessment activity being graded as 0 (fail). If the course guide specifies that obtaining a minimum grade in that assessment activity is a mandatory requirement to pass the course, or if multiple irregularities are detected in different assessment activities within the same course, the final course grade will be 0 (fail). Without prejudice to these consequences, disciplinary proceedings may also be initiated against the student concerned.

Bibliography

REIGOSA, M., PEDROL, N. & SÁNCHEZ, A.: La ecofisiología vegetal, una ciencia de síntesis. Paraninfo, 2004

LAMBERS, H.,CHAPIN III, F.S., PONS, T.L.: Plant Physiological Ecology, 2nd Edition, Springer, 2008

TAIZ, L. & ZEIGER, E.: Fisiología Vegetal.Publicacions Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, 2006

LÓPEZ-SÁEZ, JA., CATALÁN, P. & SÁEZ, Ll: Plantas parásitas de la Península Ibérica e Islas Baleares. Ediciones Mundi-Prensa, 2002

Software

None

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 14 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 141 Catalan second semester afternoon