Modules

Historical, Functional and Conservation Biogeography of Plants

Description - summary of the module content

Module description

Our planet is green. Plants clothe it and drive global cycles in energy, carbon and water. Global biomes are dominated by hundreds of thousands of species of flowering plants (angiosperms). Understanding what these species are, where they grow, and how different species will respond to environmental change is fundamental to making conservation decisions. However, in the 21^st Century, our planet remains unexplored. We do not even know how many plant species there are or how and why the phenomenal diversity of plants is spread very unevenly across the planet. Some of the key questions of biogeography remain unanswered, such as why the tropics contain so many species. This module will explore the diversity, distribution and evolutionary history of the plants that dominate present-day biomes. It will then examine the functional adaptations that they require to thrive in different environments. Put together, it will explain how these historical and functional approaches to biogeography offer much to strategies to conserve some of the most threatened, species-rich biomes on our green planet.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to provide you with the historical context alongside the current theory and practice to understand the current global distribution of plants and how to conserve this in a changing world. The module will provide a mixture of relevant theory with cutting-edge research concerning plant evolutionary history, functional ecology, climate change science and conservation science. In particular there will be a strong focus on tropical Latin America because it contains more plant species than any other comparable area on the planet. We will explain how biogeographic science can be deployed to understand the complexity and conservation of important biomes including the Amazon rain forest, tropical dry forests and savannas.

This module will provide you with a set of key skills for further study or future employment in a range of careers relating to ecosystem conservation, environmental management, tropical plant ecology, plant biodiversity science and climate change science.

The module aims are to provide you with:

• A clear understanding of the biogeographic history and ecological controls of the distribution of global biomes.
• A grounding in inferring evolutionary history and the controls on global plant diversity.
• An understanding of the ecological processes controlling the current distributions of plants.
• An explanation of how plants can adapt to their environments in the context of global climate change.
• Clear link examples of how biogeographic theory and data can underpin conservation strategies for the most species-rich biomes of the planet.

The teaching on this module will be heavily grounded in work undertaken by the module convenors, providing a unique perspective on plant biogeography and conservation through the integrating state-of-the-art research relating to plant evolution, plant function and the potential of plants to adapt to a changing world.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Critically evaluate concepts relating to plant evolution and paleoclimates in the context of current biogeography
• 2. Articulate the key role that evolutionary history plays in explaining present day patterns of plant diversity at different geographic scales
• 3. Demonstrate a clear understanding of how plant function interacts with biotic and abiotic environments to determine plant fitness and survival
• 4. Critically evaluate scientific studies to evaluate the capacity of plants to adapt to global environmental change
• 5. Apply plant functional ecology and historical biogeography to understand the complex trade-offs involved in making decisions regarding biome conservation

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Critically assess contrasting and complementary scientific theories, particularly with regard to research related to biogeographical science
• 7. Evaluate the role that different spatial and temporal scale play with regard to biogeography
• 8. Generate knowledge and new understanding from a diverse range of resources, encountered via independent study, lectures and seminars
• 9. Apply knowledge gained from understanding of existing scientific theories to build scientific predictions and hypotheses with relation to future scenarios

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 10. Communicate ideas, principles and theories effectively and fluently by written and verbal means
• 11. Integrate information from multiple disciplines to develop and debate a strong and balanced argument from multiple scientific perspectives
• 12. Identify, acquire, evaluate and synthesise data from a range of sources
• 13. Undertake independent/self-directed study/learning to achieve consistent, proficient and sustained attainment

Syllabus plan

Syllabus plan

The module is concerned with exploring the historical and contemporary explanations for the distribution of plants and how we conserve plant diversity in a changing world. The module will cover key topics on how evolutionary history and palaeoclimates have contributed to the current distribution and diversity of plants and a future perspective using an understanding of how plants interact with their environment to inform on their likely capacity to adapt to future environmental change.

The topic focussed learning will be supported by debates and discussions, plus interactive seminars from external speakers from research institutes, conservation organisations and industry. These sessions will reinforce learning introduced in the lectures and allow you to take an active role in debates and discussions concerning cutting-edge scientific and conservation issues. The module will collectively provide all the necessary understanding, techniques and skills to be able to make informed and critical decisions regarding the conservation of important but threatened global biomes. 

Topics likely to be covered in this module:

Part 1: Historical biogeography

• What is biogeography? Biogeographic realms and biomes.
• Reconstructing evolutionary histories.
• Plate tectonics and paleoclimates and their effects on plant biogeography.
• The diversity of plants.
• Plant speciation.

Part 2: Functional and conservation biogeography

• Does plant form and function control biogeography?
• Competition and the ecological niche.
• Plant survival in a changing world.
• Biogeographic history and the conservation of tropical biomes.
• Conservation ecology in tropical biomes and valuing ecosystem services
• Restoring tropical biomes, how, where and who?

Seminars:

• The biogeographic importance of botanical gardens
• Discovering the phylogenetic diversity on your shopping list.
• Preparation for formative assessment: Formative assessment and summative assessment preparation: Group conservation pitches for the world’s most important tropical biomes

Learning and teaching

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Assessment

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Re-assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to sit a further examination or submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Resources

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Mark V. Lomolino, Brett R. Riddle, Robert J. Whittaker and James H. Brown. 2010. Biogeography, Fourth Edition. Sinauer.
• Alan Queiroz. 2014. The Monkey's Voyage: How Improbable Journeys Shaped the History of Life. Basic Books
• Douglas E. Soltis et al. 2018 . Phylogeny and evolution of the angiosperms. University of Chicago Press

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE page: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=9328

Module has an active ELE page

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

Indicative journal articles:

• DRYFLOR (54 authors; PENNINGTON, R.T. senior author; 2016). Plant diversity patterns and their conservation implications in neotropical dry forests. Science 353: 1383-1387.
•  PENNINGTON, R.T., Lehmann, C.E., Rowland, L. Tropical savannas and dry forests. Current Biology 28: R541 - R545. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.03.014
• A.B. Nicotra et al. 2010. Plant phenotypic plasticity in a changing climate. Trends in Plant Sciences. 15: 684-692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2010.09.008

Key words search

biogeography, biodiversity, phylogenetics, dispersal, physiology, plant function, adaptation, conservation, biomes