Duration
30h Th, 20h Pr, 2d FW
Number of credits
| Bachelor in geography : general | 4 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The first part of this course makes the most of the skills gathered with the Biology course of the first year. It mostly scrutinizes organization of the flowering plants and brings notions of plant physiology then goes thoroughly into description of the most important taxonomical groups of the traditional plant biology. The part devoted to phytogeography opens with methods of vegetation study and exposes current issues of the field, then it details the main characteristics of the plant formations of the Earth.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
To lead to a reasonably good knowledge of terrestrial plant organization, botanical diversity and plant formations. To introduce to the methods and the vocabulary of botany and phytogeography.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Advance French knowledge
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Workshops and field works are part and parcel of the course. They illustrate concepts exposed during lectures and represent another useful way of apprehending the contents of the course. They also make it possible for students to assess their understanding of theoretical issues and give them opportunities to ask questions or engage in a dialogue with the holder or the assistants.
Living material is dissected and examined using binocular lens or microscope, and permanent microscope preparations are studied. These manipulations aim at introducing to objective observation, drawing and determination. The students have to produce written reports, which are marked.
Two field trips present the plants in their natural environment and illustrate some connections between geography and plant biology.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
Face-to-face
Recommended or required readings
Written notes are available on the first part but students are invited to take their own notes during the lectures. The numerical support of the lectures on phytogeography will be made available.
Reference works: Biology of plants, by P. H. Raven, R. F. Evert & S. E. Eichhorn, W. H. Freeman and Company/Worth Publishers, New York, 1999 (several copies of the French translation of this book by J. Bouharmont could be consulted in ULg libraries "Bibliothèque Interfacultaire" on the Sart Tilman campus and little library of the Institue of Zoology) and Walter's vegetation of the Earth: the ecological systems of the geo-biosphere, H. Walter & S.-W. Breckle, Springer Verlag, 2002.
Assessment methods and criteria
The practical exam consists of the analysis of a microscopal preparation, the description of an organism and the determination of a flowering plant
The exam on theory consists of four questions with one about the field trip content. Students have time to prepare, then they are invited to present their conclusions for about 30 min.
Successful completion of the course requires the completion of each of the exams, practical and theory.
Work placement(s)
The workshops will be organised as a training in the Hautes-Fagnes Scientific Station.
Organizational remarks
Lectures are given in the course of the second term. Attendance to lectures, workshops and study trips is mandatory.
Contacts
Alain HAMBUCKERS, senior lecturer, tel.: 32(0)4 366 5072, email: alain.hambuckers@ulg.ac.be, Biology of Behaviour, Department of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Institut de Zoologie, Quai Van Beneden 22, 4020 Liège (local 1/6)