Evolution of Plants and Fungi (P01312)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : BIO-P-EPF

This course covers the evolution of vascular and non-vascular plants, and fungi.

The non-vascular plants (cryptogams), i.e. mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and the algae are structurally diverse and phylogenetically heterogeneous: many are more closely related to various groups of heterotrophic protists than to each other. The course will examine the molecular and ultrastructural evidence for relationships among algal and fungal groups, and the extraordinary variation in morphology, dispersal mechanisms and life histories will be surveyed with reference to current controversy about microbial biogeography and conservation. The diversity and evolution of Fungi and lichens will be presented. Special mechanisms of evolution, not operating in higher plants, particularly endosymbiosis, will be highlighted. The time-scale of evolution of algae and bryophytes will be examined and the evolution of terrestrial plants from green algae discussed in relation to ultrastructural and molecular data and fossil evidence from the early Palaeozoic. The origins, diversity and distributions of bryophytes will be discussed.

Today, most terrestrial environments are dominated, in terms of biomass and productivity, by flowering plants. This is a relatively recent phenomenon, however, and for much of the time since vascular plants colonized the land, probably in the Silurian (417-433 Mya), the principal groups of plants on land were spore-producing 'pteridophytes' and various types of early seed plants. This course will examine the time-scale and nature of land plant evolution since the Silurian, the fossil and molecular genetic evidence for land plant evolution, and the special features of the principal plant groups. We will discuss the evolutionary significance of key innovations in structure and life history and explore their consequences for plant geography and conservation. Throughout, full use will be made of the excellent collections of living plants at RBG

? Keywords : Evolution, Plants, Fungi, Algae, cryptogams, pteridophytes, Palaeozoic, Plant phylogeny, molecular phylogeny

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : BSc or equivalent in Biology or another approved subject Permission of the Course Organiser

? Co-requisites : none, but Cryptogam Biodiversity is advised

? Costs : none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Postgraduate, (School of Biological Sciences, Schedule K)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Full Year (Blocks 1-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 1 hour(s) 50 minutes per week for 20 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Thursday	09:00	12:00	External

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

1.Basic understanding of algal and fungal diversity (incl. morphology, cell structure and level of organization) to phylum level, and their association as lichens.
2.Ability to evaluate different sources of phylogenetic information (e.g. molecular sequence data, ultrastructure, morphology) for understanding algal, fungal and protist evolution.
3.Knowledge of the evolutionary history and time-scale of non-vascular plants, including the development of the first terrestrial plants from green algae.
4.Discussion of key adaptations in heterokontophyte algae and in the earliest land plants.
5.Awareness of the special features of algal, fungal and bryophyte life cycles and evaluation of how these may affect conservation strategies for non-vascular plants.
6.Knowledge of life cycle variation in land plants and the genetic consequences of different life cycle patterns
7.Understanding of the special features of the life cycle and dispersal mechanisms are relevant to the development of conservation strategies for (non-angiosperm) vascular plants.
8.Ability to interpret the structure and functional anatomy of plants belonging to the principal groups of living and fossil land plants.
9.Knowledge of the history and time-scale of land plant evolution, and evaluation of the principal types of evidence underlying
10.Discussion of key adaptations occurring during land-plant evolution.