Donna Becker, Ph.D.Department of Biology

Northern Michigan Universitydbecker@nmu.edu

(906) 227-2443

“If you would thoroughly know anything, teach it to others."

~ Tyron Edwards

What I Teach

• Introductory Plant Biology (BI 230 Plant Kingdom)• Upper –level Plant Physiology (BI 431)• General Microbiology (BI 303)• Microbial Ecology (BI 402)• Biological Science for the non-majors (BI 100)

• Contact me if you would like ideas of how to work with plants and/or to safely incorporate microbes into your teaching!

How I Teach

• Since I started teaching, I’ve learned we all don’t learn the same way!

• This simple short VARK questionnaire I find very useful for my students to help them assess how they learn new information:– VARK – Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic

• www.VARK-learn.com

Resources – Reliable information with K-12 Education links

• American Society of Plant Biologists– http://www.aspb.org/– http://www.aspb.org/education/NEWK12.CFM

• Botanical Society of America– http://www.botany.org/– http://www.botany.org/outreach/

• American Phytopathological Society– http://www.apsnet.org/– http://www.apsnet.org/education/K-12PlantPathways/

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Resources

• Websites:– http://plants.usda.gov/index.html– http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/webb/– http://www.youtube.com/

Maple syrup explanation:– http://employees.csbsju.edu/ssaupe/biol327/Lab/

maple/maple-sap.htm

Local Resources

• Michigan State University Extension Center– 205 S. Front St., Marquette, 228-4830

• Marquette County Conservation District– 1030 Wright St., Marquette, 226-2461

• Wisconsin Fast Plants– http://www.fastplants.org/

– Simple experiments– Easy to grow– Needs little space

Resources

• Mimosa pudica – “sensitive plant”

Video Series

• The Private Life of Plants– Sir David Attenborough

Plant Basics

Taproot vs. Fibrous Roots

Adventitious roots

• Roots forming from stem tissue of a coleus plant

• Try taking a stem cutting of a plant and put it into a clear glass of water. Watch the roots start to form from the stem!

“Mini Rhizotron” for viewing root growth

What are the “Nutrients” absorbed from the soil?

• Minerals!• Analogous to taking a multivitamin

Transpiration – how water moves through plants

• Pores in leaves (stomata)– Water vapor evaporates out of leaves

• Creates tension on the water column in plant• Water is ‘pulled’ up the plant

• Experiment using white carnations– Place freshly cut stems in containers of blue food dye– Place flowers in different environmental conditions

Stems

• Have pores on surface of stem called lenticels– To allow for gas exchange

• Surfaces of some fruits– Apple, pears

• Spots and streaks are lenticels

LeavesLeaf surface showing pores - stomata

• Stick clear packing tape onto leaf surface

• Gently pull tape off leaf• Stick tape onto

microscope slide• Epidermal leaf cells

and pores (stomata) will be visible using microscope!

The darker kidney bean-shaped cells are the guard cells which are surrounding the pores. The guard cells + the pores = stomata

Seeds

• Formed in ‘cones’ – gymnosperms• Formed in fruit - angiosperms

Overall Reaction of Photosynthesis

• CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2

• CO2 + H2O (CH2O) + O2

• CO2 is reduced to carbohydrate

• H2O is the reductant (donates electrons)

• CO2 is the oxidant (accepts electrons)

Photosynthesis Basics

• Part 1 Light Reactions – use of light energy and chlorophyll pigment to make chemical energy – NADPH, ATP

• Required for making carbohydrates (sugars)

• Part 2 Biochemical Reactions – use the chemical energy produced during Part 1 to make carbohydrates (sugars)

Fruits develop from flowers. Flowers contain at least one ovary with egg(s). After pollination (transfer of pollen, which contains the sperm) and fertilization of the egg(s) in the ovary (fusion of egg and sperm), the seed(s) will begin to develop and the ovary and often other parts of the flower will develop into a fruit. For example, a cob of corn is a multiple fruit, with each kernel a single fruit, called a caryopsis or grain. A single corn plant has tassels at the top of the plant (male flower). This is where pollen develops. Lower on the corn plant are the female flowers, which are commonly called the ears or cobs of corn. These flowers have long “silk” protruding out to catch the wind dispersed pollen grains.

So, much of what non-botanists call “vegetables” are really fruit. Examples of commonly mistaken vegetables that are really fruits include: tomato, peppers, cucumber, peas, beans, cereal grains, peanuts, pumpkin, etc.

The beauty and mystery of plants!!

What is a fruit?