| Code | Faculty |
|---|---|
| 02240707 | Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences |
| Credits | Duration |
|---|---|
| Minimum duration of study: 1 year | Total credits: 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.
BSc in Plant Science, or a recommendation from the head of the department if the candidate did not major in Plant Science. Preference will be given to applicants with the highest final grade point averages for their preceding degree and qualifying applicants may be subjected to an entrance evaluation examination. Admission is furthermore contingent on the availability of supervisors and/or research projects within the participating departments.
BOT 705 and BTW 701 are for BScHons (Biotechnology) students. PB students who wish to take one of these modules as an elective need to apply to the programme leader.
The curriculum for the balance of the credits will be determined by the heads of department of the interdepartmental BScHons (Biotechnology) degree programme.
Minimum credits: 135
Minimum credits: 135
Core credits: 85
Elective credits: 50
The programme consists of compulsory modules and elective modules. Students may register for modules to the maximum of 20 credits presented by another department, which forms part of the elective modules.
The following fields are presented in the BScHons in Plant Science programme:
Apart from the compulsory and elective modules, a project, leading to a research report (60 credits), forms an essential part of the training 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.
Suitably qualified candidates may also apply for the interdepartmental BScHons in Biotechnology degree (Code 02240393) with a supervisor in the Department of Plant and Soil Science.
Please consult Prof P Bloomer, Tel: +27 12 420 3259, for further details.
Module content:
Literature study, discussion and oral presentation of a subject related to the main discipline.
Module content:
This module will provide students with the skills to use biophysical information and data obtained by undertaking a natural resource inventory. This will be supported by taught methods of critically evaluating data and information obtained through assessment methodologies and an understanding of sampling design (choosing reference sites, spatial replication) and monitoring methods (e.g. recording biomass vs vegetation cover vs species richness; aspects of seed biology etc.). Through the additional understanding of ecological and agricultural concepts (e.g. productivity, decomposition rate, carbon uptake, pollinator abundance, erosion protection, dust reduction) students will acquire the skills to provide reclamation and restoration solutions to land degradation challenges in South Africa.
A site visit or field trip during which students will get exposed to the realities of reclamation and restoration and apply their knowledge and skills will be a compulsory component of this module.
Module content:
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 content:
Definitions of woodlands and forests and vegetation and forest resources in southern Africa; Classification of forest and woodland in southern Africa; Woodland dynamics including disturbance, recruitment, growth and mortality, recovery after disturbance; Ecosystem services (microclimate and nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration etc); Sustainable forest resource management (resource assessment, socio-economic assessment e.g. wood and non-forest products, participatory resource management processes); Forest health; Monitoring of resource-use impacts and adaptive management; Development of a framework for sustainable conservation and use of non-timber forest products; Climate change and resilience. Forest disease and pathology.
Module content:
Students are guided through the methodology of research planning and data handling. They are offered hands-on experience in a range of advanced techniques employed in molecular research and analysis.
Module content:
The regulations of the International Code for Botanical Nomenclature. Principles of nomenclature. History of plant collecting. Type specimens.
Module content:
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 content:
Speciation in flowering plants; plant variation. Sex determination in flowering plants. Reproductive systems in flowering plants.
Module content:
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 content:
Regulation and interaction of primary plant metabolic pathways on the sub-cellular and whole plant level.
Module content:
Practical applications of plant ecology principles. Designing and executing field studies. Exposure to skills of field ecology and plant identification. This module includes a compulsory 5-day field component.
Module content:
Classification, identification and nomenclature, methodology of a revision study, analysis and presentation of taxonomic information, evolution, phylogeny and cladistics.
Module content:
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 content:
Creation of genetically modified plants and their impact on modern agriculture.
Module content:
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 content:
Literature study of recent publications in a subject related to one of the elective disciplines.
Module content:
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 content:
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.
Module content:
Introduction to the principles and realities of working in the field of biotechnology. Discussions on various aspects, including entrepreneurship; intellectual property; patent rights; financial management; grant applications and product marketing. The module will be assessed by way of a simulated grant application for the development of a hypothetical biotechnological venture.
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