5 credit hours
Prerequisite: BIOL 201
Introduction to the photosynthetic way of life in algae and plants. This course will consider plant structural and functional adaptations related to water retention and distribution, gas exchange, light absorption and energy conversion, anti-gravitational support, reproduction and dispersal; followed by a comparative study of the main plant groups from algae to flowering plants, emphasizing structural diversity and evolutionary trends. The laboratory exercises will present an introduction to plant (and algae) cells, tissues, and organs through comparative anatomy and morphology analyses.