PLANT ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY
Knowledge of Plant Biology is required
The exam consists of an oral interview during which at least two topics from those covered in the lessons will be addressed. An additional question may concern the laboratory experiences. To assess the knowledge and skills acquired, the following will be evaluated:
understanding of the topics covered;
completeness of the acquired knowledge;
ability to interconnect the acquired knowledge;
use of appropriate terminology. Active participation in the classroom during the course (questions, comments) will also be positively evaluated.
The course contributes to achieving the educational objectives of the Biology and Sustainability program by providing in-depth and up-to-date knowledge and understanding of the interactions between plant organisms and the environment, as well as adaptation strategies (avoidance, tolerance, resilience, resistance).
In particular, the course will cover the mechanisms underlying plant physiological responses to major abiotic stresses and interactions with pathogens.
At the end of the course, students will:
1. Understand the physiological processes and molecular mechanisms that enable plants to successfully adapt to environmental stresses.
2. Know the mechanisms underlying plant physiological responses to pathogens.
3. Acquire the necessary tools to independently analyze plant responses to stress and climate change.
4. Be encouraged to develop critical thinking skills and communicate the acquired concepts using correct scientific terminology.
They will be able to use the acquired knowledge to:
- Identify situations of biotic and abiotic stress.
- Develop strategies aimed at improving or preserving green ecosystems in adverse environments, thereby contributing to the sustainable management of resources.
1. General definition of stress and common strategies of avoidance, tolerance, resilience, and resistance.
2. Oxidative stress. Reactive oxygen species (ROS): chemistry, ROS sources in plant cells, antioxidant systems.
3. Water and salt stress. Molecular, cellular, and organismal damage from water deficiency. Molecular, physiological, and anatomical mechanisms of drought resistance and adaptation. Xerophytes and resurrection plants. Flooding and submersion. Molecular, cellular, and organismal damage. Fermentation and cytoplasmic acidification. Adaptive, avoidance, and tolerance responses to hypoxia and anoxia. Physiological strategies for salt resistance and tolerance. Osmoregulation. Mechanisms regulating NaCl absorption and accumulation in plants.
4. Thermal stress. Cold and freezing stress. Cellular damage and adaptive responses to cold. Osmoregulators and cryoprotectants. Adaptation to winter desiccation and mechanisms of protection for the photosynthetic apparatus. Cellular damage and adaptive responses to high temperatures. Heat shock proteins and factors in stress. Secondary metabolites and their role in thermoprotection.
5. Light stress. Shade plants: physiological mechanisms of adaptation to low light. Adaptive responses of plants under vegetative cover. High light intensity stress: structural and functional characteristics underlying adaptation and tolerance. Photosynthetic ROS production and photoinhibition. Molecular mechanisms of photoprotection: dissipation of excess energy. The violaxanthin cycle, state transition, cyclic electron transport, water-water cycle, chlororespiration. Damage to and repair of PSII.
6. Stress from anthropogenic pollution. Soil, water, and atmospheric pollutants. Characteristics, toxicity, and mechanisms of tolerance and resistance. Use of bioindicators for environmental quality. Detoxification and phytoremediation systems.
7. Biotic stress: plant-pathogen interaction. Plant pathogens. Pathogenesis strategies. Constitutive defenses. Innate immunity in plants: PAMP, DAMP, and basal immunity. Secondary metabolites in defense mechanisms. Effectors and R genes. Hypersensitive response. Systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Salicylic acid and jasmonic acid. Intracellular and long-distance signaling.
The laboratory exercises will provide experience in techniques to evaluate the effects of stress on plants.
The course includes lectures (40 hours) and laboratory exercises (12 hours). During the lectures, the topics are presented with the aid of projected presentations in the classroom. Attendance at the laboratory sessions is mandatory (with a maximum allowed absence of 33% of the total scheduled hours).