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Plant Physiology - BIOL 349 - 01 (3 Credits)

SPRING SEMESTER, 2014

Instructor
Dr. Wenyan Xiao
Office, 215A Macelwane Hall
Tel, 314-977-2547; Email, wxiao@slu.edu

Lectures
Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00 AM -12:15 PM, Macelwane Hall 334
Jan 13, 2014 - May 13, 2014

Office Hours
Tuesday and Thursday, 12:15-1:15 PM; or by appointment

Text
Plant Physiology, 2010, Fifth Edition by Lincoln Taiz and Eduardo Zeiger,
Sinauer Associates, Inc, Publishers, ISBN 978-0-87893-866-7.

Learning Objectives
Students should develop
1) Knowledge in the area of plant physiology: general principles and
processes of plant physiology that will be disseminated in the class.
2) Ability to integrate knowledge: application of the plant physiology
knowledge to problem-solving and hypothetical experimental situations.
3) Intellectual inquiry and communication: an interest in science,
scientific methodology and discovery, advancement of science in shaping our life
and society, and the abilities to learn effectively, express ideas and concepts
clearly.
4) Ethical principle and leadership: issues of genetically modified
organisms and renewable biofuels will be discussed. Students will realize how
human activities have changed our environment and play a leadership role in
issues such as CO2 emission, renewable energy, sustainability, environmental
protection, and climate change in the human life.

Course Description
This is a general Plant Physiology course at Saint Louis University. For many of
you, this might be the only course in Plant Physiology that you will ever take,
while for others, it may just be a start. Adding to knowledge you have acquired in
Principles of Biology (BIOL 104 & BIOL106), this course is intended for providing
a more in-depth look at the physiological, biochemical and molecular aspects of
plant structures and functions. This course will provide not only conceptual
principles but also detailed processes of plant physiology that will set a solid
foundation if you choose to investigate plant biology in more details in the future.
We will learn this course in the following 5 units: 1) An Introduction to Plants,
Plant Physiology, and Plant Cells; 2) Transport and Translocation of Water and
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Solutes; 3) Biochemistry and Metabolism (Mainly Photosynthesis); 4) Plant
Growth and Development; 5) Current Topics in Plant Biology (Biotechnology,
GMO, and Biofuels). Finally, I hope that you will this course interesting and
rewarding.

Course Website
Log in http://myslu.slu.edu with your SLU Net ID and Password, click on Tools,
then click on Blackboard Learn (New Blackboard), and click on SP2014-BIOL-
349-01-Plant Physiology from course list. Please email helpdesk@slu.edu if
you need any help to log into the course website.

Assessment
The learning objectives will be assessed through two hourly midterm exams, and
a cumulative final exam. Students will be asked to fill in an assessment
questionnaire at the completion of the course.

How to do well in this course
Attend lectures.
Keep up with the assigned reading.
Keep up with lecture notes. Review your notes after each class so that you can
ask questions while the material is fresh in your mind.
Focus on lectures when you study for exams. Textbook readings are meant to
supplement lectures and aid in understanding them. Most of the materials will
overlap between the lectures and the textbook; however, sometimes lectures
may cover a topic in more depth than the text, and sometimes the text may cover
the material in more depth than the lecture.
If you have questions, please ask! You are welcome to ask questions in class,
to come to my office hours, or to make an appointment with me.

Attendance
Attendance at lectures is mandatory. Your attendance at lectures and
participation in the panel discussion can earn you up to 30 points in your total
class scores.

Exams
Midterm exams will be given during class time. All exams are required and no
exam grades will be dropped. The final exam will be cumulative. Make-up exams
will only be given for University excused absences and appropriate written
documentation must be provided. In the event that an exam is missed, it is the
students responsibility to contact the instructor prior to the exam to make
arrangements for a makeup exam. If arrangements for a make-up exam are not
made in advance, the student will receive a 0 for the exam. The final exam for
this course is scheduled from 12:00 noon to 1:50 pm on Tuesday, May 13,
2014. No alternative times for the final will be available. No make-up final will
be given under any circumstances. Exam questions will be relevant to lectures
and discussion.
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Grading
Grades will be based on a total of 370 points.
Exam 1 100 points
Exam 2 100 points
Final Exam 140 points. The final exam will be cumulative.
Class Participation: 30 points (attendance, class discussion, and panel
discussion)
Letter grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
A 93.0-100%
A- 90.0-92.9%
B+ 85.0-89.9%
B 80.0-84.9%
B- 75.0-79.9%
C+ 70.0-74.9%
C 65.0-69.9%
C- 60.0-64.9%
D 50.0-59.9%
F < 50.0%

RE - Grading
To request re-grading, it has to be done in written via email by providing
adequate evidence of inappropriate grading within 3 days of returning your
exams. Under no circumstance, I will discuss the whole exam with you. There is
no negotiation for grades.

Academic Integrity and Honesty
The Department of Biology has a zero tolerance policy with regard to cheating on
exams, plagiarism in the preparation of assignments and/or collusion to carry out
any of the above. During exams, quizzes or any other activities in which a grade
is being assigned or points toward the course are being assessed, if the
instructor, or an exam proctor catches you cheating, your exam (or paper) will be
picked up and you will be given a grade of ZERO for that exam (or activity) that
will always be used in the calculation of your final grade for the course. During
exams, quizzes or any other activities in which a grade is being assigned or
points toward the course are being assessed, if the instructor, or an exam proctor
feels you may be cheating, you will be given a warning to modify your behavior. If
you fail to heed the instructors advice or persist in your efforts, your exam (or
paper) will be picked up and you will be given a grade of ZERO for that exam (or
activity) that will always be used in the calculation of your final grade for the
course. If, in the preparation of written assignments for the course, you engage in
any plagiarism or in any manner falsely representing the work of others as your
own, you will be given a grade of ZERO for the assignment that will always be
used in the calculation of your final grade for the course. Your actions with regard
to any of the above matters will be documented in writing and reported to the
Chairman of Biology and the Assistant Dean of Arts and Sciences. The Chairman
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and Dean reserve the right to report the matter to the Committee on Academic
Honesty. In the case of collusion, however, the matter will without question be
reported to the committee on Academic Honesty as this represents a Class B
violation (see College of Arts and Sciences Policy on Academic Honesty,
http://www.slu.edu/x12657.xml) and is taken very seriously by the Department of
Biology and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Excused Absence Policy
Legitimate conflicts and excuses require written documentation, and are limited
to death or near-death instances in the immediate family, a students illness that
requires immediate doctors care, a University sponsored event (not club sports)
and regularly scheduled religious obligations. Excuses that will NOT be
considered include personal travel arrangements, non-University sponsored
events, a conflicting appointment, a previous illness that interfered with your
study time or an illness that does not prevent you from coming to the exam.
Unexcused exam absences will be counted as zero in the calculation of your final
grade.

Students with Special Needs/Disability Services
Any student who feels that he/she may need academic accommodations in order
to meet the requirements of this course as outlined in the syllabus due to the
presence of a disability, should contact the Office of Diversity and Affirmative
Action. Please telephone the office at 314-977-8885, send an email to
meyerah@slu.edu or visit Duborg Hall Room 36. Confidentiality will be observed
in all inquiries.

Tutoring
The Tutoring Center prepares students for academic success. Students must call
in advance to make appointments during regular university office hours.
Cancellation of appointments must be made ASAP. For more information or to
schedule and appointment, contact The Tutoring Center at 314-977-3319.

Course Evaluations
All students must complete the online course evaluations and assessment survey
during the posted period at the end of the semester in order to receive a grade.

Schedule

Date Class Topic Reading
T, 1/14 1 Intro to plant physiology
R, 1/16 2 Plant structure Chap. 1

T, 1/21 3 Plant cells, organelles, cell biology Chap. 1
R, 1/23 4 Genome organization and gene expression Chap. 2

T, 1/28 5 Water properties & water potential Chap. 3
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R, 1/30 6 Water balance of plants Chap. 4

T, 2/4 7 Mineral nutrition and solute transport Chap. 5, 6
R, 2/6 8 Photosynthesis-light harvesting Chap. 7
T, 2/11 9 Photosynthesis-electron transport Chap. 7
R, 2/13 10 Photosynthesis-ATP synthesis Chap. 7
T, 2/18 11 Photosynthesis-carbon fixation (C3 cycle) Chap. 8
R, 2/20 12 Midterm I In class
T, 2/25 13 Photosynthesis-photorespiration; C2 cycle,
C4 & CAM photosynthesis
Chap. 8

R, 2/27 14 Photosynthesis-ecological considerations;
Phloem transport; Carbon allocation/yield
Chap. 9, 10

T, 3/4 15 Agrobacterium and plant transformation
R, 3/6 16 Plant development and signal transduction Chaps. 14, 16
T, 3/11 Spring Break No class
R, 3/13 Spring Break No class
T, 3/18 17 Phytochrome and light control of plant dev Chaps. 17
R, 3/20 18 Auxin Chap. 19
T, 3/25 19 Midterm II In class
R, 3/27 Holy Thursday No class
T, 4/1 20 Auxin Chap. 19
R, 4/3 21 Gibberellins Chap. 20
T, 4/8 22 Cytokinins Chap. 21
R, 4/10 23 Ethylene Chap. 22
T, 4/15 24 Ethylene Chap. 22
R, 4/17 25 ABA Chap. 23
T, 4/22 26 Control of flowering & circadian rhythms Chap. 25
R, 4/24 27 Biotechnology and GMO
T, 4/29 28 GMO
R, 5/1 29 Biofuels
T, 5/13 30 Final Exam: 12:00 noon 1:50 PM Macelwane Hall
334

This syllabus is subjected to change.