General Information | The Program | Courses | PDF File

Courses in Plant Biology (PBI)

Graduate Courses

200A. PBGG Core Course Series-Fall quarter (5)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—2 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing; a broad background of undergraduate-level coursework in Plant Biology is recommended. The first of three PBGG graduate core courses. Coverage includes (1) plant genes, (2) biotechnology, (3) genomes and gene flow, (4) principles of plant systematics, and (5) the evolution of flowering plants.—I. (I.) Potter

200B. PBGG Core Course Series—Winter quarter (5)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—2 hours. Prerequisite: course 200A. The second of three PBGG graduate core courses. Coverage includes (1) embryo development, (2) cytoskeleton and vesicle trafficking, (3) cell walls, (4) cell growth, (5) secondary metabolism, (6) plastids and (7) senescence.—II. (II.) Labavitch

200C. PBGG Core Course Series—Spring quarter (5)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—2 hours. Prerequisite: course 200A and 200B. The third of three PBGG graduate core courses. Coverage includes (1) plant water relations, (2) cellular & long distance transport processes, (3) mineral nutrition, (4) environmental impacts on growth & development, (5) stress perception & responses, (6) canopy processes, and (7) plant interactions with other organisms.—III. (III.) Blumwald, Silk

201. Plant Senescence: Cellular and Molecular Aspects (4)

Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: Plant Biology 111, 112; Biological Sciences 102 and 103. Cellular and molecular phenomena associated with the senescence of plants and plant parts. Emphasis on principles and mechanisms. Offered in alternate years.—I. Reid

202. Advanced Physiology of Cultivated Plants (2)

Lecture—1 hour; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate standing, Plant Biology 111 or the equivalent. Physiological processes as they pertain to growth and partitioning in higher plants. Background lectures on source-sink concepts and current areas of investigation followed by weekly round-table discussion led by students on focused sub-topics in the source-sink area. Offered in alternate years. (S/U grading only.)—I. DeJong

203N. Biology of the Plant Cell (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion/laboratory—2 hours. Prerequisite: Plant Biology 111 or Biological Sciences 104, or the equivalent. Recent progresses in plant cell biology. Intracellular motility in plant cells. Common techniques associated with the progress of plant cell biology. Open to senior undergraduate students in Plant Biology major. Offered in alternate years. (S/U grading only.)—I. Liu

205B. Advanced Plant Physiology (3)

Lecture/discussion—3 hours. Prerequisite: Plant Biology 111, 112, and Biological Sciences 103. Photosynthesis, photophosphorylation, chloroplast metabolism and biology. Offered in alternate years.—II. Theg

205C. Advanced Plant Physiology/Biochemistry (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Plant Biology 111, 112, Biological Sciences 103. Integrative studies that combine physiological, biochemical and molecular approaches to study of plant metabolism. Fundamentals of basic metabolic pathways extending to use of mutants and genetic engineering to dissect such pathways; how pathways are integrated and respond to signals. Offered in alternate years.—III.

208. Plant Hormones and Regulators (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: Plant Biology 112. Chemistry, biochemistry and physiological activity of major classes of natural plant growth regulators. Primary consideration given to concepts that are of current research interest. Growth regulators in agriculture. Offered in alternate years.—II. Abel

210. Plant Ecophysiology (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Plant Biology 111, 112, 117. Study of the mechanisms of physiological adaptation of plants to their environment. Offered in alternate years.—(II.) Pearcy

211. Ecophysiological Methods (3)

Lecture—1 hour; laboratory—4 hours; individual project; one Saturday field trip to be arranged. Prerequisite: Plant Biology 111, 117, and consent of instructor. A laboratory and lecture course covering basic concepts underlying the research methods and instrumentation useful in plant ecophysiology. Offered in alternate years.—III.

212. Physiology of Herbicidal Action (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Plant Biology 112, 122. Study of the fundamental processes involved in the physiological action of herbicides. Detailed consideration of the fate of herbicides in plants. Offered in alternate years.—III.

214. Higher Plant Cell Walls (3)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: Plant Biology 112, and a course in biochemistry. Lectures focus on the structure, analysis, synthesis, and development-related metabolism of cell walls. Discussions center on analysis of scientific papers related to lecture topics. Offered in alternate years.—I. Labavitch, Nevins

217. Membrane Biology of Plants (3)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: Plant Biology 112 and Biological Sciences 103, or consent of instructor. Structure, biogenesis, and function of plant cell membranes. Emphasis will be placed on the molecular basis of plant membrane functions and on the role of membranes in selected physiological processes. Offered in alternate years.—(III.) Lucas

218A. Advanced Concepts in Plant Cell Biology: Cell Biogenesis (3)

Lecture/discussion—3 hours. Prerequisite: Biological Sciences 102, 103. Survey of molecular mechanisms underlying structural and functional differentiation of plant cell subcellular compartments. Topics include membrane and protein biosynthesis, protein targeting and turnover, and regulation of nuclear and organellar gene expression as related to the biogenesis of plant cell organelles. Offered in alternate years.—(II.) Bennet, Theg

218B. Advanced Concepts in Plant Cell Biology: Signal Transduction and Intercellular Communication (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Biological Sciences 102, 103 or consent of instructor. Intracellular signal transduction pathways in the plant cells as well as longer term, adaptive responses which involve signals transmitted between plant cells. Weekly lectures and student-led discussions on current literature. Offered in alternate years.—III. Lucas, Dehesh

219. Reproductive Biology of Flowering Plants (3)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: Plant Biology 111 and Biological Sciences 101. Fundamental mechanisms of reproductive biology of flowering plants and their influence on genetic variation, evolution, and cultural practices. Offered in alternate years. (Former course Plant Sciences 270.)—(I.)

220. Plant Developmental Biology (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour; term paper. Prerequisite: plant anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry. A survey of the concepts of plant development and organization. Examines plant cells, tissues, and organs with special emphasis on experimental evidence for mechanisms regulating developmental processes. Offered in alternate years.—Bowman, Sinha

223. Special Topics in Scientific Method (2)

Discussion—2 hours. Examine the historical and philosophical background of the scientific method. Analyze the rational, perceptual, causal, creative and social aspects of scientific knowledge. Clarify the roles of reason, experimentation and creativity in scientific research. (S/U grading only.)—I. (I.) Bradford

224. Water in Physiology and Ecology of Plants (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: Hydrologic Science 124, or Plant Biology 111 and 117, or consent of instructor. Evapotranspiration and energy balance; water and component potentials; water transport to, within, and from plants; dynamics and regulation of water status; drought resistance; responses to water deficits and salinity; water use efficiency; adaptation to aridity; productivity in relation to water. Offered every fourth quarter. (Former course Plant Sciences 224.)—II. Hsiao

225. Methods and Instrumentation for Crop and Soil Science (3)

Lecture—1 hour; laboratory—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: basic knowledge of plant physiology, soil science, chemistry and physics. Theory and practice of in situ sampling and instrumentation methods for crop science (broadly defined to include tree crops) and related aspects of soil science (e.g., moisture and fertility) and laboratory analysis. Offered in alternate years.—III.

227. Plant Molecular Biology (4)

Lecture/discussion—4 hours. Prerequisite: Molecular and Cellular Biology 121 or 161. Molecular aspects of higher plant biology with emphasis on gene expression. Plant nuclear and organelle genome organization, gene structure, mechanisms of gene regulation, gene transfer, and special topics related to development and response to biological and environmental stimuli.—(II.) Britt, Sinha

229. Molecular Biology of Plant Reproduction (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Molecular genetic basis of plant reproduction. Emphasis on understanding developmentally regulated gene expression as it relates to the major changes that occur during plant reproduction and on the genetic control of flowering. Offered in alternate years.—O'Neill

290A. Faculty Seminar (1)

Discussion—1 hour. Discussion of research area of seminar speakers in Plant Biology Graduate Group Seminar Series. Restricted to Plant Biology graduate students (PBGG). May be repeated six times for credit. (S/U grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)

290B. Seminar (1)

Seminar—1 hour. Seminars presented by visiting scientists on research topics of current interest. (S/U grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)

290C. Research Conference in Botany (1)

Discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate standing and/or consent of instructor. Presentation and discussion by faculty and graduate students of research projects in botany. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)

291. Graduate Student Seminar in Plant Biology (1)

Seminar—1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate student standing. Student-given seminars on topics in plant biology, with critiques by instructor and peers. How to give a seminar, including preparation of visual and other teaching aids. Topic determined by instructor in charge. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)

292. Seminars in Plant Biology (1)

Seminar—1 hour. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Review of current literature in botanical disciplines. Disciplines and special subjects to be announced quarterly. Students present and analyze assigned topics. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)

293. Seminar in Postharvest Biology (1)

Discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: consent of instructor; open to advanced undergraduates. Intensive study of selected topics in the postharvest biology of fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)

297T. Tutoring in Plant Biology (1–5)

Tutorial—3–15 hours. Offers graduate students, particularly those not serving as teaching assistants, the opportunity to gain teaching experience.
(S/U grading only.)

298. Group Study (1-5)

May be repeated up to four times for credit.
(S/U grading only.)

299. Research (1-12)

Prerequisite: graduate standing. (S/U grading only.)

Professional Course

390. The Teaching of Plant Biology (2)

Discussion—2 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing; concurrent appointment as a teaching assistant in Plant Biology. Consideration of the problems of teaching botany, especially of preparing for and conducting discussions, guiding student laboratory work, and the formulation of questions and topics for examinations. (S/U grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)