FRS 002T —
Sec. 001 —
(2 unit) — CRN 55920 — M 1:10 – 3:00pm — 25 Wellman
Perspectives on Plant Diversity
Instructor: Dan Potter, Department of Pomology, College of
Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences
Description: In this seminar, we will explore
various disciplinary
and cultural perspectives on issues related to biological diversity, focusing
on plants. We will begin by defining terms. What is a plant? What do we mean by
diversity? How do the definitions of these terms vary depending on who is using
them and how have they changed through history? We will compare and
contrast various
ways of representing and organizing botanical diversity, including a range of
ethnobotanical classifications, traditional western scientific
taxonomy, and modern
phylogenetic classifications, as well as linguistic and artistic expressions.
What are the common themes and key differences, and what do they tell us about
how people perceive other organisms? We will also examine the significance of
plant diversity to people from a range of perspectives, including the cultural,
economic, ecological, and aesthetic components that contribute to
individuals’
and society’s appreciation and valuation of diversity. How important is
maintaining plant diversity to human survival and welfare? Finally,
we will discuss
the various approaches that have been taken to conserve the diversity of plants
at different levels, including habitat conservation, protection of endangered
species, and in situ and ex situ germplasm preservation. What are the
challenges
involved in developing and implementing conservation strategies and
how can they
be resolved? These issues will be explored through a combination of
lectures and
demonstrations given by the instructors, class discussions, visits to several
botanical collections on campus, and student team research projects
and presentations.
The team projects will consist of investigations into an
interdisciplinary topic
related to plant diversity. Examples of possible topics include: protection of
rare and endangered plants in California such as vernal pool or
serpentine endemics;
effects of genetically modified plants on diversity of traditional landraces in
a particular crop; effects of human migrations and cultural exchanges
on the plants
used by one or more cultural groups; historical changes in the
vegetation of California.
We hope to attract students with a diversity of interests and
academic and cultural
backgrounds. Because we will take an interdisciplinary approach and
examine both
fundamental and applied aspects of issues of plant diversity, we
expect that all
students will be exposed to new perspectives as a result of
participating in this
seminar. In class discussions and in the team projects conducted by students,
we will specifically encourage individuals to look at issues from perspectives
that are different from those that are most familiar. Thus, students
with strong
backgrounds in biology would be encouraged to consider cultural
and/or legal perspectives.
Weekly writing assignments will request students to make connections
between class
material and past or current personal experiences or world events.
Format:. The seminar will meet once a week for one
hour and fifty
minutes throughout the quarter, Mondays from 1:10 to 3 PM. Several field trips
are scheduled. Each student will be required to keep a weekly
electronic journal,
consisting of a minimum of one page of text relating what was
discussed or observed
in class that week to something that the student experienced, heard,
or read about
outside of class. Each student will also participate in the team research
projects
and preparation for the end-of-quarter presentations. Some time will be allowed
in class for students to work on the projects. Students will prepare self and
peer evaluations for team members. Grading: Grades will
be based on: In-class participation 20%; Weekly electronic journal entries 50%;
Team projects 30%.
About the
Instructor:
Professor Potter is a member of the faculty in the recently
established Department
of Plant Sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences. The
primary focus of his research is angiosperm systematics, the study of
the diversity,
phylogeny, and classification of flowering plants, especially crop plants and
their wild relatives. Specific projects include examinations of
phylogenetic relationships
and character evolution across Rosaceae, the rose family, using DNA
sequence data,
and of the relationships between one group of species in that family
and the nitrogen-fixing
bacteria with which they form symbiotic associations. He also has an
active interest
in ethnobotany, the study of the direct relationships and interactions between
plants and people. He participates in teaching the following courses:
Plants and
the Biosphere, California Floristics, Principles and Methods of
Ethnobotany, and
the Genetics and Evolution portion of the Plant Biology Graduate
Group Core Course.
Graduate student and co-instructor Jennifer Petersen is pursuing her
Ph.D. through
the Plant Biology Graduate Group. Her research focuses on systematics
of the tropical
plant family Sapotaceae, which includes many species that yield timber, latex,
and edible fruits.