course 1-- 4 weeks outline

I.   Plant Parts—Structure and Function (Introduction)
          A.  Leaves (Introduction)
                1.  Leaf terminology
                2.  Leaves Up Close
               3.  Plants Can Modify Their Leaves
          B.  Stems
          C.  Roots (Introduction)
                1.  Roots as Anchors
                2.  Water and Nutrient Uptake
                3.  Food Storage in Roots
                4.  Stems vs. Roots: Similarities and Differences
                5.  Observing Plant Roots
          D.  Flowers
          E.  Seeds and Fruit
          F.  The Miracle of Meristems (Introduction)
               1.  Types of Meristems

II.  A Plant’s Basic Needs
          A.  Light
          B.  Water
          C.  Air
          D.  Minerals

III. Week 1 Conclusion

Week 2: Plants Up Close—The Plant Cell

I.   The Plant Cell (Introduction)
          A.  Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral? What Features Distinguish a Plant Cell?

II.  A Day in the Life of a Plant—Basic Metabolic Functions (Introduction)
          A.  Some Food for Thought: Photosynthesis
                1.  The light and dark reactions
                2.  Why is photosynthesis so important?
          B.  Respiration—Do Plants Really Breathe?
          C.  Plants Transpire!
                1.  What is transpiration?
                2.  Turgor pressure
          D.  Balancing Photosynthesis and Transpiration Rates

III. Plants—Movers and Shakers? What Controls Plant Movement and Growth?
          A.  Growth in Response to Stimuli—The Role of Auxin
                1.  Response to light
                2.  Response to gravity
                3.  Phototropism or geotropism?
                4.   Response to physical contact
          B.  Nastic Movement
          C.  Other Phenomena Regulated by Auxin
                1.  Apical dominance
                2.  Propagation by cuttings
                3.  Leaf and fruit drop
          D.  Gibberellin
          E.  Other Plant Growth Regulators
          F.  Plant Growth Regulators in Horticulture

IV.  Week 2 Conclusion

Week 3: —The Incredible Family of Plants

I.   From Mosses to Redwoods: Systems for Classifying Plants
          A.  Creating Order from Diversity
               1.  Terminology: genus and species
               2.  Family resemblance
               3.  Conventional nomenclature: How to write botanical names
               4.  Families, orders, classes, divisions, and kingdoms

II.  A Survey of the Plant Kingdom
          A.  Alternation of generations
          B.  The seedless plants
               1.  Mosses
                2.  Ferns
          C.  The seed-forming plants
                1.  Gymnosperms
                2.  Angiosperms

III. The Family Tree in Your Garden
          A.  Some familiar families
          B.  Native or exotic?

IV.  Week 3  Conclusion

V.   Appendix—Latin Words Frequently Used in Species Names

Week 4: —Diversity Through Evolution

I.   Theories of Evolution
          A. Darwin’s Theories

II.  Adaptations to fill basic needs
          A. Light
                1. Light in the Rainforest
               2. Light in the Garden
          B. Water
          C. Air
          D. Nutrients

III. Adaptations for protection
          A. Physical Protection
          B. Chemical Protection

IV.  Can Plants Tell Time? Plant Clocks and Calendars
          A. Photoperiodism
               1. The Discovery of Photoperiodism
               2. Long-Day and Short-Day Plants
               3. The Photoperiodic Response
               4. The Role of Photoperiodism
               5. Length of Day
          B. Vernalization
          C. Do Plants Hibernate? How Plants Prepare for Winter
               1. Hardening Off
               2. Chilling Requirements