Evolution of Green Plants

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Scanning electron micrograph of Equisetum sperm cells. Image by K. S. Renzaglia (http://www.science.siu.edu/landplants/Sphenophyta/sphenophyta.html).

Spring 2012

EEB 3220 (3 cr)

EEB 3220W (W, 4 cr)

EEB 5220 (graduate, 3 cr)

Lectures: T/TH 12:30-13:45 in Torrey Life Sciences (TLS) 301

EEB3221 (lab) students: To lab home page.

Instructor Contact Information

Louise A. Lewis Associate Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
office: 200 Pharmacy/Biology Building
voice: +1 860-486-6723
email: louise.lewis@uconn.edu

Bernard Goffinet Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
office: 300 Pharmacy/Biology Building
voice: +1 860-486-5290
email: bernard.goffinet@uconn.edu

Syllabus

Pdficon small.gif Download EEB3220 course Syllabus (requires password) for info on grading and course policies.
Pdficon small.gif EEB3220W students: Download instructions (requires password) prior to our first W meeting

Textbook and readings

Textbook: Willis and McElwain (2002): The evolution of plants. Oxford University Press. Additional readings from the primary literature will be assigned to some lectures through links in the schedule below. This material (textbook and papers) is considered part of the lecture material and must be read for the midterm and final exams.

Announcements

  • Assignment 3: you have to attend one of the following two seminars:

Sir Peter Crane (Yale): The future of plants. Required attendance: Feb. 23rd. Teale lecture in Dood Center at 4PM.
Ricardo Rozzi (UNT & U Mag): Field environmental philosophy to confront biocultural homogenization in a rapidly changing world. April 5th, BP 130, 4PM
You have to tell us NEXT WEEK which one you will attend. You will have to write up a summary of the talk and submit that the week following the talk. If you have a legitimate reason that prevents you from attending a lecture, we will assign you a different task.

Schedule

Notes: downloads require password; best viewed in Adobe Reader.

Date Topic Reading / Assignment Prof.
T 1/17/12 Introduction W&E Ch. 1 & first pages of Ch. 2, Pdficon small.gif Lecture notes
Pdficon small.gif Assignment1lifecycle.doc
Goffinet
Th 1/19/12 Before land plants - Introduction to Green algae Pdficon small.gifAssignment 2 Lewis
T 1/24/12 Introduction to Green Algae, continued Assignment 1 Due (at start of class)
Tell us which seminar you will attend (assignment 3)
Lewis
Th 1/26/12 Transition to land Goffinet
T 1/31/12 Succeeding on land: “earliest” embryophytes Goffinet
Th 2/2/12 Conquering land: early Polysporangiophytes Goffinet
T 2/7/12 Moving up: the origin of vascular plants Assignment 2 Due (at start of class) Goffinet
Th 2/9/12 Branching out Goffinet
T 2/14/12 Morphological adaptations to water loss Goffinet
Th 2/16/12 Physiological desiccation tolerance Lewis
T 2/21/12 Evolution of organellar genomes Lewis
Th 2/23/12 Evolution of lignin and stomata Assignment 3a: Teale Seminar: Sir Peter Crane, 4PM, Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center Goffinet
T 2/28/12 Developmental tool kit Assignment 3a due Goffinet
Th 3/1/12 Homology and phylogenetic data Lewis
T 3/6/12 Midterm exam (through 2/28 lecture)
Th 3/8/12 Phylogeny of early embryophtyes - limitations, uncertainties Lewis
T 3/13/12 Spring Break
Th 3/15/12 Spring Break
T 3/20/12 Divergence dating, integration of fossils Lewis
Th 3/22/12 Partners in the conquest of land Lewis
T 3/27/12 Evolution of leaves W&E Ch. 4 Goffinet
Th 3/29/12 Making cones W&E Ch. 4 Goffinet
T 4/3/12 Origin of seed plants, fossils, climate W&E Ch. 5 Goffinet
Th 4/5/12 Origin of seed plants, fossils, climate W&E Ch. 5
Assignment 3b: Seminar: Ricardo Rozzi (UNT & U Mag): Field environmental philosophy to confront biocultural homogenization in a rapidly changing world. April 5th, BP 130, 4PM
Goffinet
T 4/10/12 Origin of flower, fossils, etc. W&E Ch. 6 Lewis
Th 4/12/12 Origin of flower, fossils, etc. W&E Ch. 6
Assignment 3b due
Lewis
T 4/17/12 Diversification of grasses, photosynthesis W&E Ch. 7 Lewis
Th 4/19/12 Diversification of grasses, photosynthesis W&E Ch. 7 Lewis
T 4/24/12 Phylogeny, dating, homology Lewis
Th 4/26/12 Phylogeny, dating, homology & Presentations by EEB 5220 Students

Links

"Whitish smoke in the movie are small droplets containing smreps (deliberate misspelling of word for male gametes). The smreps in the droplets are still un-motile. When touch the water, they begin to swim. In our experiments, misting with water is trigger of the explosion. If antheridia were mature, the explosion begin within few minutes. The event continued about for 10 min. Intense light for video recording also seems to accelerate the phenomenon. Each antheridia is deeply sunk in a cavity of antheridiophore and there is a very small pore on the top of each cavity. Swollen cells of surrounding tissue might cause the pressure force. Cavers (1903) and Muggoch & Walton (1942) also discussed about the mechanism, but, I think no one examined about the detail mechanism of the phenomenon. In Hiroshima, the season of mreps dispersal is Spring (April to May). In our field observation, we detected many airborne smreps in the sunny day after rain shower. I do not have detail data about how many species of liverworts have airborne mreps. At least, Asian species of Conocephalum (C. japonicum) do in the same manner." M. Shimamura

Shimamura, M., Yamaguchi, T. & Deguchi, H. 2008. Airborne sperm of Conocephalum conicum (Conocephalaceae). J. Plant Res. 121: 69-71. http://www.springerlink.com/content/fl2105h6428366m3/