| Code | Faculty |
|---|---|
| 02240706 | Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences |
| Credits | Duration |
|---|---|
| Minimum duration of study: 1 jaar | Totale krediete: 135 |
Renewal of registration
In calculating marks, General Regulation G.12.2 applies.
Apart from the prescribed coursework, a research project is an integral part of the study.
Minimum krediete: 135
Minimum credits: 135
Core credits: 105
Elective credits: 30
Other programme-specific information:
Students may register for modules to the maximum of 20 credits presented by another department, which forms part of the elective modules.
Apart from the compulsory and elective modules, a project, leading to a research report (60 credits), forms an essential part of the programme. One seminar (15 credits) must also be written and presented. Field excursions are undertaken. In addition to the compulsory modules, electives are selected in consultation with the supervisor.
Module-inhoud:
Pharmacological action of low molecular plant constituents and high molecular weight compounds. Plant constituents as anticancer, antibacterial, antiviral, hypoglycaemic, freeradical scavengers, hypotensive and as anti-inflammatory agents. Cell culturing, cell growth and apoptosis, cell mediated immune responses. Drug development in TB as models for research. Enzymes, receptors and plant constituents. The unique challenges of plant-based medicines.
Module-inhoud:
Basic concepts of toxicology. Systemic, developmental, genetic and organ-specific toxic effects. Hallucinogenic, allergenic, teratogenic and other toxic plants. Plant constituents, contradictions and interactions. Phytotoxicity unrelated to plant constituents. Safety and efficacy issues of commonly used Phyto-drugs with emphasis on pharmaceutical applications. Practical aspects related to the manufacture of good quality plant-based medicines. Phyto-drug formulation, standardisation and aspects concerning different dosage forms.
Module-inhoud:
Metabolism and functions of secondary compounds such as tannins, alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids and free amino acids. Importance of secondary compounds in the defence mechanisms of plants. Isolation and identification of medicinal bioactive compounds from plants. Their current scope and potential applications in ethnobotany. Strategies to discover new pharmaceuticals from ethnomedicine.
Module-inhoud:
Literature study, discussion and oral presentation of a subject related to the main discipline.
Module-inhoud:
The principles of experimental design as required for the selection of an appropriate research design. Identification of the design limitations and the impact thereof on the research hypotheses and the statistical methods. Identification and application of the appropriate statistical methods needed. Interpreting of statistical results and translating these results to the biological context.
Module-inhoud:
The regulations of the International Code for Botanical Nomenclature. Principles of nomenclature. History of plant collecting. Type specimens.
Module-inhoud:
Regeneration of plants from seed under natural conditions. Early stages in the life of a plant from ovule to established seedling: seed production; seed predation; seed dispersal; seed germination and dormancy, seed bank dynamics and seedling establishment.
Module-inhoud:
Speciation in flowering plants; plant variation. Sex determination in flowering plants. Reproductive systems in flowering plants.
Module-inhoud:
Plant genome: structure and composition of the plant genome (nuclear, mitochondrial and chloroplast); applications in plant biotechnology: plant tissue culture (microproagation, somatic embryogenesis and cell suspension cultures). Genetic manipulation and gene transfer technology (Agrobacterium-based and other) and DNA-marker technology.
Module-inhoud:
Regulation and interaction of primary plant metabolic pathways on the sub-cellular and whole plant level.
Module-inhoud:
Classification, identification and nomenclature, methodology of a revision study, analysis and presentation of taxonomic information, evolution, phylogeny and cladistics.
Module-inhoud:
An overview of phylogenetics sets the scene, and sources of taxonomic information (morphology, anatomy, chemotaxonomy, cytogenetics, reproductive biology, palynology, ethnobotany and paleobotany) and how these data are used are discussed. This is followed by a section on the use of phylogenies as tools to understand ecological and geographical patterns and processes. Modern plant distribution patterns are assessed from the framework of the competing explanations of dispersalisn and vicariance.
Module-inhoud:
Creation of genetically modified plants and their impact on modern agriculture.
Module-inhoud:
Literature study of recent publications in a subject related to one of the elective disciplines.
Module-inhoud:
Principles of identification, classification and nomenclature; identification of plants; family recognition; collection of plant specimens for identification; herbarium as a source of information. Variation in seed plants and breeding systems. Practical work involves an excursion.
Module-inhoud:
Mapping and analysing spatial data. Theory and basic techniques of analysing and manipulating spatial data using geographical information systems. Mapping of vegetation types, species distributions and diversity, species traits. Understanding the spatial drivers of biodiversity patterns. The influence of scale on biodiversity analyses. Relevance for conservation planning for mapping biodiversity risk and prioritsing conservation, especially in a South African context.
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