CORE184 A shared world: on the coexistence of humans and plants

Faculty of Science
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
RNDr. Milan Baláž, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. RNDr. Vít Gloser, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. RNDr. Vít Gloser, Ph.D.
Department of Experimental Biology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: RNDr. Pavel Lízal, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Experimental Biology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Prerequisites
!TYP_STUDIA(ND) && !FORMA(C) && (!PROGRAM(B-UCB) && !PROGRAM(B-UCC) && !PROGRAM(B-UCF) && !PROGRAM(B-UCM) && !PROGRAM(B-UCZ) && !PROGRAM(B-LGM) && !PROGRAM(B-EMB) && !PROGRAM(B-EKB) && !PROGRAM(B-ANT))
Basic high school knowledge of biology.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 100 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/100, only registered: 4/100, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/100
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to facilitate students of "non-biological" study programmes better orientation in the knowledge of plant biology, which is directly related to their everyday life. The course extends secondary school knowledge of plants and uses concrete examples to explain current topics such as the role of plants in human nutrition, in processes of environmental and climate stabilization or change, or the benefits and risks of using genetically modified plants.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- be oriented in the extended basics (beyond the high school curriculum) of several scientific disciplines in the field collectively called "Plant Biology";
- relate these topics in plant biology to highly topical issues such as climate change or a healthy environment;
- to understand the role of plants indispensable for the sustainable existence of modern human societies.
Syllabus
  • Plants as an (un)ordinary part of the world around us. Plants and the basic prerequisites for human existence (food, atmospheric oxygen, fuels, building materials, etc.)
  • Plants as part of the global water cycle. Effects of water sufficiency and scarcity on plant growth and distribution. The role of plants in the water cycle.
  • Plants and human nutrition - regional and global crops. Factors affecting quantity and quality of plant production and performance. Preconditions for high productivity.
  • Is plant nutrition the key to solving the food crisis? Importance of mineral nutrients for plants, effect of fertilization on plant productivity, problems with fertilizer use.
  • Plant support structures used by man. An anatomical and practical view of structures that provide strength and protection for the plant body. Wood, textile fibres, latexes, resins and other useful plant products.
  • Intimate coexistence of man and plants - plants in close proximity to man. Ornamental plants, parks, gardens, houseplants. Flowering and propagation of plants - from research to commerce.
  • Increase in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere? Plants are excited! The principle of carbon assimilation by plants. Evolutionary adaptation of photosynthesis. Carbon storage in the biomass and plant productivity.
  • Genetic Modification of Plants (guest Hana Cempírková) - the curse of the hunt for productivity or a faster path to a more ecological agriculture? Benefits and risks of GMO, legislative framework.
  • Plant products a pleasure for humans. Sweet products, spices, tea and coffee, psychotropic substances.
  • Plants as objects of research. Model species for research on plant functions, models of embryonic life - embryogenesis. Inspiration for human technology. Source of information on history.
  • Plants in  extreme conditions - from polar regions to space. (guest Miloš Barták). Adaptation of plants in polar regions. Use of plants in space missions, development and testing. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Literature
  • Vzhledem k rozmanitosti témat bude vhodná studijní literatura studentům doporučena v rámci interaktivní osnovy a v každé přednášce separátně.
Teaching methods
Teaching will take the form of a presentation of individual topics, typically in the form of a dialogue between two teachers, with the aim of including students in the discussion. Short multimedia inputs will also be partly used in the teaching. Continuous on-line verification of the mastery of information from each lecture will be required - it will be done using the ROPOT (Revision, Opinion Poll and Testing) in IS MU.
Assessment methods
The course will be successfully completed by those students who meet both conditions:
- obtain at least 50% of the marks for the correct answers in the ROPOT (Revision, Opinion Poll and Testing) in IS MU;
- prepare and present a final presentation (tentatively 10 slides, 7-10 minutes in length) on a selected topic, followed by discussion. This part will take place in small groups of 4 to 5 students with the teacher(s).
Náhradní absolvování
Not available.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/spring2025/CORE184