This year, Plant Ecology and Physiology will have a special focus on forest trees. We could probably rename the program Tree Ecology and Physiology, or more simply “Trees”. Given the status of COVID-19 this year (2021), we won’t be in the lab much. But that suits trees just fine – they don’t fit well in labs anyway! The program will address questions such as how do trees sense and respond to changes in their external environment? What are the chemical signals produced by trees in response to external stimuli (light, gravity, temperature) and how are these signals amplified within the larger plant community? We will engage in the study of individual plants/trees (autecology), the interactions among plants/trees (synecology), and the physiological interactions of trees with their environment (tree ecophysiology). Students will learn field methods for studying plant community ecology and plant physiology including vegetation sampling methods, methods for measuring plant growth, photosynthesis, water-stress, and tree water-use. Lecture topics will include plant communities; competition and trophic cascades; tree growth and development; nutrient cycling and nutrient requirements; hormones; tree water-use; sap production and sugar transport; wood anatomy; dendrology, photosynthesis; rooting; plant genetics and reproduction; and the potential effects of large-scale disturbances, such as climate change, on plant communities. Our readings will be divided between current widely used texts in plant physiology and ecology, historical papers of great importance, and current research papers from technical journals. Weekly field days and individualized field assignments will allow us to explore methods, conduct hands-on work, and conduct student-driven research on plant ecology and physiology. We will also have a 4-credit unit on Ecological Statistics. This is also a writing intensive program for technical science writing. Communication skills will be emphasized, particularly reading scientific articles and writing for scientific audiences.

What books will we need? Below you will find our booklist. I have tried to keep this list short. The following books contain material that I have not found available in any free online source. Please check with interlibrary loan if you have trouble purchasing books. Please also contact me (faculty) if you are worried about access to these titles:

What about field gear? Students will need basic personal field gear that will be listed in a separate handout. We will have a day in the field nearly every week. Students will recede a gearbox with all necessary items in week 2 of the program, and gear will be collected in week 8. Personal pear needed will include appropriate rain gear, field-books, and individual  measurement and plant identification gear (1 6-inch ruler, 10x hand lens). Students may also be asked to use higher magnification lenses for labs, and announcements about acquiring those resources (if needed) will occur by the start of the quarter. Additionally, students will need technology to remotely access course content.

I like plants, but what about technology? To successfully participate in this program, students will need a home computer, laptop, Chromebook, or iPad. Contact faculty for help if this is an obstacle – really, I can help! The program will include options for in-person video conferencing (approximately four hours per week), and multiple options using online technology for lecture content, group work, and coursework. Students will need to be able to access either JMP statistics, or R and R Studio statistics packages. JMP is free to students and works on Macs and PC’s. R and R Studio are free to everyone, and also work on Macs and PC’s. You can also work in RStudio Cloud (https://rstudio.cloud) if you only have a tablet or Chromebook. Chromebooks are available for check-out at the Evergreen Library. Examples of other remote technology that will be used include Zoom, Canvas, YouTube, iNaturalist, Google platforms, Excel, ArcGIS Online, Google Earth Engine, and .

Schedule:

Monday: Video Lectures Posted Online

Tuesday 1:30-3:30 ZOOM Meeting

Wednesday: – Student Research Group Meeting and Self-Paced Field Time

Thursday: Field Meeting 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Friday: Statistics Lab (AM.) Zoom Meeting 9:00 am – 10:00, followed by Faculty Open Hours for statistics labs.