[F&ES 690] / 2016-2017

Plant Hydraulics

Credits: 3


This course explores the fundamental principles of plant water transport and utilization, scaling from the molecule to the forest canopy at each step along the soil-plant-air continuum. We specifically focus on the relationships between plant structure and function related to water transport, as well as the anatomical and physiological adaptations that have allowed plants to colonize nearly every ecosystem on the planet. Students gain a thorough understanding of the biophysical and anatomical principles of plant water use, exposure to field and laboratory techniques used to measure these processes, and a contextual perspective that highlights the ecological and evolutionary implications of past and future climate change. Enrollment limited to fifteen.
Limited to 15