Plants and Global Climate Change

Across the globe, climates are changing. As a carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rise, temperatures are increasing, resulting in more frequent and severe heat waves. When and where rain falls is also changing, with droughts occurring more often. How will these changes in the global climate affect the performance, survival and distribution of plants, both in nature and cultivation? This course will provide you with a solid background in plant function in relation to global climate change and enable you to answer this question at scales ranging from cellular function to community processes. The course is structured around six topic modules selected to expose students to current research areas in the field. ANU has a high research profile in different aspects of how environmental factors and global climate change affect plant function and ecology and each module is taught by an expert lecturer. The specific topics may vary between years depending on lecturers. The course will have a broad content ranging from topics as fundamental as how: plants take up carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and how this uptake of carbon is linked to the use of water; changing environmental factors such as temperatures affect plant function; the biotic environment is crucial in determining how plants acquire nutrients and their responses to changes in the global climate; and, climate change is leading to increased mortality of plants – often described as ‘dieback’ – in ecosystems across the globe. Students will learn how to critique papers in the primary literature and will develop written and oral communication skills. Course format is directed by lecturers, but significantly based on student-led presentations of primary literature. This course will build students’ understanding of plant function in relation to global climate change, research analysis and proposal formulation skills. Note: Graduate students attend joint classes with undergraduates but are assessed separately