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Plant Evolution (BOTA30002)
Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
| Availability | Semester 2 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This subject will introduce the general principles and modern methods of plant evolutionary biology: how to discover the phylogeny (relationships) of organisms using both morphological characters and molecular (DNA) data; how to use this information to improve the classification systems of plants; how to study aspects of evolution, coevolution and historical biogeography; and how to integrate information from living and fossil plants to discover the past and date evolutionary events. Examples of the diversity and evolution of Australian plants - both fossil and living forms - will be used throughout this subject. Topics will include:
- discovering plant relationships phylogenetic systematics;
- evolution of vascular plants, especially flowering plants;
- fossil history of land plants;
- historical biogeography and evolution of Australian flora.
Intended learning outcomes
At the completion of the subject, students should be able to:
- Describe key evolutionary processes in plants;
- Explain and apply principles used to infer the evolutionary history of plants from morphological and genomic data;
- Analyse morphological and genomic data using phylogenetic methods;
- Interpret the results of evolutionary studies and evaluate their implications for plant classification, historical biogeography or character evolution;
- Demonstrate a knowledge of the Australian flora and major Australian biomes and evaluate evidence for their evolutionary history.
Generic skills
On completion of this subject students should have developed the following generic skills:
- ability to access, read and interpret relevant works from the primary scientific literature
- ability to communicate scientific concepts and data in written and oral form
- experience in relevant field and laboratory work, including working in groups
Last updated: 10 December 2024