Advanced English
for Plant Biologists
Miloš Barták
Department of Plant Physiology and Anatomy
Institute of Experimental Biology
Masaryk University, Brno
March, 2013

Overview of the lesson
nDo you rememeber vocabulary related to plant anatomy ?
nPlants in extraordinary ecosystems
nPlant allelopathy
nInteractive exercises
–What must happen before olives are served on your table?
–Have you ever visited a botanical garden?
–What vegetation is typical for mountainous ecosystems?
–

Do you remember plant anatomy terminology ?
nSource of photo: http://www.sciencephoto.com/images/download_lo_res.html?id=667450491
B745491-Plant_Epidermis-SPL

What
is
that ?
nSource of photo: http://www. photoshelter.com
s

Describe compartments of the below plant cell organel.
nSource http://www.seos-project.eu/modules/agriculture/agriculture-c01-s05.html
chloroplast_inside chloroplast

>

What is on the picture?
n
http://www.google.cz/imgres?imgurl=http://maps.unomaha.edu/peterson/funda/notes/notes_exam2/Norther
n_Africa_files/image003.gif
edmcB28_rgb whaling2 mariachis_are_dead_071306 weeding-the-garden

What is on the picture?
nPlacoid
nPlanar
nPinnate
nPyruvate
nPlum
nPlane
n
obr95590_6236 3311523710_fd1c214fdf Leaf%20Ash
Source of photo: http://www.hainaultforest.co.uk/5Ash.htm

734px-Map_of_the_Canary_Islands hawaiian_islands_244141227_std
Vegetation of Islands
nSource of maps: http://www.planetware.com/map/galapagos-islands-map-ecu-gal.htm
nhttp://www.kapotrading.com/The_Hawaiian_Islands.html
n
n
galapagos-islands-map ANd9GcTDtdL9Sns7E__8DS3CSUWtC25MY8c_BVJgp5gDfYTSSphPEpYyAQ

What is the plant name ?
nTenerife - volcanic flora / vegetation. The Tenerife endemic plant Echium wildpretii also know as
tower of jewels, red bugloss, Tenerife bugloss or Mount Teide bugloss. From within the Teide
national park.
7044588-tenerife--volcanic-flora--vegetation-the-tenerife-endemic-plant-echium-wildpretii-also-know
-as-tower

What do you see at the picture ?
nSource of photo: http://fr.treknature.com/gallery/South_America/Venezuela/photo172491.htm
n
Autana Tepuy - S. America's Yggdrasil f_7
And now, when you have much closer look ?
Tepui - Islands in the Sky

Is there any non-professional book about plants and animals of a tepuy?
nhttp://www.madcaptravels.com/2010/11/tepui-islands-in-sky.html
The Lost World, a 1912 novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, tells the tale of an expedition that
discovers dinosaurs and man-eating savages on the remote mountain-top plateau in South America.
Believe it or not, the inspiration for the location of the novel is true. The mountain-top plateaus
are called 'tepui' and are literally mountain-top islands in the sky disconnected from the world
below by sheer rock walls thousands of feet tall. They are found in the Guiana Highlands of South
America, especially in Venezuela. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue.

•
Lost%2520World%2520poster

nTepuis are generally isolated mountains, which makes them the host of a unique array of endemic
plant and animal species. The plateau of the tepuis is completely isolated from the ground forest,
making them ecological islands. The tepuis are often referred to as the "Galápagos Islands of the
Land“
roraima3

Grammar is coming
nPrepositions
ngerund

nJack decided on chicken instead …………….. (order/steak).
Repeat the grammar from the last lesson:
Be careful when thinking about prepositions !
of ordening steak
nI am interested ………… (watch/film) by Alfred Hitchcock .
in watching films
nWe are really very excited (hike/Andes) this coming summer.
about hiking in the Andes
nWe thanked them (drive/us/home) after the football game.
for driving us home
http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/blprepgerund1.htm
nCould you please tell me who is responsible (accept/applications)?
for accepting applications ?

nWe plan _____ to London next year …………….. (travel/ travelling).
A little bit of grammar.
Be careful when thinking about verbs !
travel to
nI'm afraid I don't recollect ______an exam today! To have / having
having
nPeter reminded me _______ my medicine. to take / take / taking
to take
http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/bl_verbform2.htm

Interactive exercises
n


Only one of the below
expression does not fit
the photo.
Please find it
Soil erosion
Lack of vegetation cover.
Dryland
Mangrove
Water limitation
Soil cracks
vic.tamu.edu/plantbiotechnology.htm
SMALL-6CV45 y0501e78

n
This may happen only in . . .
BA4079-001, Suzanne & Nick Geary /Stone
Norway
Croatia
Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego
The Netherlands.
Japan
Nigeria

SMALL-6CV45

What is the species they grow at the below photo? Please read the text and make your choice.
SMALL-6CV45 pds_algae
Alfaalfa        cucumber      green algae      tobacco      maize      E. coli
Some of the factors effecting growth of the species
(a) Sunlight – too much direct sunlight can kill them,
(b) Temperature must be held steady,
(c) Overcrowding of the species inhibit their growth,
(d) The waste oxygen produced by them should
be continually removed from the water for healthy growth,
(e) Open ponds are subject to evaporation and rainfall.
    It causes salinity and pH imbalances,
(f) Some time, local species overgrow the desired strain.

What is he cutting?
cabbage
sugarcane
agave
kiwifruit
water melon
bamboo
SMALL-6CV45 Toby_cutting_bamboo

Plant allelopathy
nAllelopathy is a biological phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that
influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms. These biochemicals are known
as allelochemicals and can have beneficial (positive allelopathy) or detrimental (negative
allelopathy) effects on the target organisms.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allelopathy

nBiochemicals
nSecondary metabolites
nAlkaloids
n
n
Plant allelopathy
Secondary metabolites are organic compounds that are not directly involved in the normal growth,
development, or reproduction of an organism. Unlike primary metabolites, absence of secondary
metabolities does not result in immediate death, but rather in long-term impairment of the
organism's survivability, fecundity, or aesthetics, or perhaps in no significant change at all.

Advanced English for Plant Biologists
pangea protea-plant-5071
Pangea
Protea
Protozoa
Protocorm
Protocol
Prosthetic
Perennial
anaerobic_and_micro-aerophilic_protozoa_1153235625_aampw 0og5oi1xtgqee3bor0x prosthetic_legs
stock-photo-jpg-french-tarragon-in-flower-pot-aromatic-perennial-herb-with-lance-shaped-anise-flavo
red-34089619
Sources: geology.csupomona.edu , biology-blog.com , starcentral.mbl.edu  , www. caodaivn.com,
damninteresting.com

Conversation
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