PSC102 Botany (8)
Enrolment restrictions: Students who have completed BIO126 or BIO127 cannot enrol in this subject.
This subject focuses on the flowering plants, the most successful plants on the planet and vital for our survival. Lectures and hands-on practicals are closely aligned for on-campus students to maximise learning outcomes with an eye to future careers in the primary industries. We also have a vibrant merged on-line community with numerous resources such as customised web-based tutorials, and quizzes that prepare distance education students for a challenging fun residential school. We start by placing plants centre stage highlighting their intimate association with us, from domestication of important food species to plants of pharmacological significance. An overview of evolution and classification of the angiosperms places them in perspective with the other plants and stresses the importance of scientific approaches to their investigation. The topic From molecules to cells deals first with the important molecules of life and then provides the structural basis in cells, for understanding the later units describing key concepts of photosynthesis, cell division and plant development. Topics are integrated so that connections are made between structure and function and links to later subjects are clear. Other topics include: cells, reproduction, tissues, organ systems, flowers, fruits, seeds, stems, roots and leaves. For viticulture and wine students we have developed additional images, resources and examples to demonstrate how these basic concepts apply to grapevines.