BOT 114 CC: PLANTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

How do plants tell time?  Why do leaves change colors in the fall?  How do plants communicate with one another?  How do they interact with other organisms?  Plants and Climate Change introduces plant biology, built around the theme of how a changing climate might impact plants and the ecosystems they help to create.  Climate change is already affecting every ecosystem on Earth and at the base of all terrestrial ecosystems are the plants that support all life.  Plants need carbon dioxide to live, but will rising CO2 levels be enough to counter-balance the rising temperatures and major changes in rainfall that will come with climate change?  We will develop a strong foundation in plant biology to explore these issues, and we will consider what changes in current human interactions with the biosphere might be most effective in ameliorating the problems. 

This class includes both lecture/discussion meetings and weekly labs. Students will grow their own gardens in the greenhouse and track the development of their plants through both careful illustration and scientific measurement. We will also perform experiments to learn firsthand how plants grow, what they need to survive, and how they behave in different environments.  Field trips will include a visit to the coast to look at how rising sea levels have altered conditions, and to the Arboretum to see what is still visible from past climates – after all, not all that long ago, the spot where Connecticut College now stands was open tundra, with roaming mammoths, and the coast was 400 miles to the east.