Biology Department, Ithaca College (Offered Spring 2007)
Professor: Peter Melcher
Office: CNS 253
Phone: 607.274.3980
E-mail: pmelcher@ithaca.edu
In this course we will explore the amazing life of plants.
The plant kingdom is awesome! It comprises a very interesting group of organism that hold some fascinating records. For example, some estimate that the most massive single organism on earth is a plant known as General Sherman (a giant sequoia tree). What is the oldest organism on earth? That would be a plant that is more than 5000 years old! That is older than the first built pyramid. We as humans also rely on products of plants for our survival. These include: food, clothes, building materials, glues, rubber, and medicines to name a few. The bottom line is that you should get to know the plant world.
In this course we will discuss how plants:
coordinate their physiological processes without a central organizing system such as brain or nervous system;
allocate resources such as sugar, minerals, and water;
distribute their resources without a pumping heart;
and survive and prosper while growing in stressful environments such as freeze/thaw, high salt, and low and high light.
In the lab you will learn how to use various types of equipment in inquiry based labs where you get a chance to conduct
self designed experiments.
If you have any questions about the course please feel free to contact me by email or stop by my office.
