Undergraduate Course: Fungi and Plant Pathology (PLSC10004)

Course Outline
School	School of Biological Sciences	College	College of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	10	ECTS Credits	5
Summary	This course aims to increase your appreciation of the morphogenesis and cell biology of fungi and their significance in the development of economically important plant diseases. This is an exciting time in fungal cell biology, with rapid technological developments in live cell imaging and associated techniques underpinning rapid advances in our understanding of cell biological processes including vesicle trafficking, key mechanisms of virulence and morphogenesis. We will highlight the biological and technological advances occurring within these research areas. Fungi also have potentially important applications in the biotechnology industry and specific examples, such as their deployment as biosensors, will be discussed. This course will also highlight the importance of fungi and other pathogens as causative agents of plant disease. Importantly, disease is the exception rather than the rule, because plants possess a plethora of elaborate defence mechanisms to defend themselves against microbial infection. Key examples of these defence mechanisms will be presented. For example, the basis of pathogen recognition, the synthesis of reactive oxygen intermediates and the engagement of cellular suicide programmes. The extensive parallels between plant disease resistance and animal innate immunity will also be explained. Advances in our understanding of plant disease resistance often have direct agricultural utility, this fact will be highlighted in a lecture by a senior representative of the world's largest agricultural biotechnology company. This guest speaker will also discuss career opportunities for graduates within the agricultural biotechnology sector.
Course description	Not entered

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None
Additional Costs	Notepads

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Semester 1
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 33, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 63 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 100 %, Coursework 0 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	Exam
Feedback	Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)	Fungi and Plant Pathology		2:00

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: To understand the major virulence mechanisms that phytopathogens employ to colonise plants. The ability to research the background literature relating to a particular area of molecular plant pathology. Develop an appreciation for the strategies that can be employed to convey disease resistance to crop plants. To present recent research findings in the form of an oral report. To become proficient at discussing the state-of-the-art developments in molecular plant pathology.