Undergraduate Plant Science 2024-2025

This advanced soil science course provides additional teaching of physical, chemical and biological properties of soils in the context of food security and climate change. You will learn a variety of processes that affect soil productivity, accompanied by practical sessions that will teach relevant analytical methods. Plant interactions with soil, in the context of food security and land restoration, are major course topics.
There are two practical sessions with assignments, a debate and a final exam.

The emphasis of the course is on plant ecophysiological responses, mostly in relation to natural environments. Lectures, labs and an excursion provide a diverse set of learning opportunities.
Coursework is based on a choice from one of the practical investigations done during the course. Coursework consists of a lab report and a linked recorded presentation. During each investigation, students are asked to design a simple experiment and sampling regime using plant material and a range of measurement options. Investigative work is intended to help students to develop specialist knowledge and a capacity for creative, independent and critical thinking, problem identification and problem solving. Oral presentations, including participation in Q&As, help students to develop confidence and oral communication skills.

This course examines the role terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems play in modulating global fluxes of energy and matter. It explores physical, chemical, and biological processes that govern ecosystem dynamics.

This course develops principles of systems ecology and biogeochemistry, focusing on organisms’ roles in regulating ecosystem processes and interactions of greenhouse gas exchange between the atmosphere, ocean, and land surface.

By integrating insights from various disciplines, you gain understanding of how ecosystems differ in composition, structure, and function.