Plant Ecophysiology

The course will develop a thorough understanding of the functioning of plants in ecosystems, with some emphasis on agricultural systems. Special attention will be given to the study of feedbacks between vegetation and environment, and their effects on crop productivity and the environment. Several practical laboratories will introduce to field assessment of plant and canopy performance and monitoring of key micrometeorological processes.

Basic knowledge in plant physiology, biology and biochemistry, plant molecular biotechnology.

1. Farming systems: biological and physical components
2. Growth and development of plants and communities
3. The physical environment: * radiation laws, sun-earth geometry, radiation components, radiation balance * air temperature and moisture, thermodynamic aspects * energy balance, sensible and latent heat fluxes turbulent transport, heat mass and momentum transport
4. Plant ecophysiology:
   water balance in plants, regulation and water stress, measurement of different parameters * response of plants to water deficits * water use efficiency * gas exchange and stomatal control * influence of environmental factors on uptake, translocation and assimilation of mineral nutrients * circulation of mineral nutrients in ecosystems * plant response to mineral nutrients deficiency * influence of environmental factors on photosynthesis and respiration * carbon in plants and ecosystems * plant response to the combination of multiple stresses
5. Canopy functioning and modelling * fluxes of energy, water and carbon at ecosystem level * measurements and modelling of crop growth

Knowledge and understanding: * Students will enhance awareness of the effects of environmental on functioning of plants and ecosystems; develop the ability to think at different levels of integration, from physiological ecology to systems ecology, as this is essential for an understanding of ecosystem functioning; and enhance capacity for analytical thinking and for the development of logical arguments with respect to plant ecology and ecophysiology. Strong emphasis will be put both on basic theoretical aspects of plant-environment interactions and to the ability to measure and monitoring it. * The students can use knowledge obtained during the course of this subject, in combination with gained professional skills in viticulture, analyze, investigate and successfully resolve individual cases in practice.

• Slides from lectures
• Moodle classroom with e-materials
• Actuall scientific materials from the field
• Jones: Plants and Microclimate, Cambridge University Press E-version
• Loomis & Connor: Crop Ecology, Cambridge University Press E-version
• Denffer, D. / Ziegler, H., 1982. Botanika - Morfologija in fiziologija. Školska knjiga, Zagreb, 586 s.
• Gogala, N., 1993. Slikovno version za študij fiziologije rastlin. Biotehniška fakulteta, Ljubljana.
• Marschner, H., 1995. Mineral nutrition of higher plants. Druga izdaja. Academic Press, London, 889 s. E-version
• Nilsen, E. T. / Orcutt, D. M., 1996. The physiology of plants under stress. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 689 s. E-version
• Fitter A. H., Hay R. K. M 2002. Environmental Physiology of the Plants, tretja izdaja, Academic Press, 382 s. ISBN 0-12-257766-3. E-version
• Lambers H., Chapin III, F. S., Pons, T. L. 1998. Plant Physiological Ecology. Springer 540 s., ISBN 0-387-98326-0. E-version
• Epstein E, Bloom A.J. 2005- Mineral Nutrition of Plants: Principles and Perspectives. Sinauer, Sunderland. 400 s. ISBN 0-87893-172-4 E-version
• Reigosa Roger M. J. 2001. Handbook of Plant Ecophysiology Techniques. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 452 s., ISBN 0-7923-7053-8 E-version

In class mid-term exam (30%), Reports on labs (30%), Final exam (40%)

Associate profesor forthe field of Biotechnology at University of Nova Gorica. Her references in the field plant and vine physiology are evident from:

http://www.nib.si/component/directory/?view=details&id=104&Itemid=12
http://www.sicris.si/public/jqm/search_basic.aspx?lang=slv&opdescr=search&opt=2&subopt=1&code1=cmn&code2=auto&search_term=Maruša%20Pompe%20Novak