The course is composed of: 1) theoretical background given in 11 lectures weekly during a semester and 2) practical training, which is scheduled for altogether 11 hours in the semester and will be conducted in 2 weeks at once after semester, approximately in May or beginning of June.

Lectures are going to be the same for both courses MB130P09 a MB130P22E. Course MB130P22E does not contain practical training in contrast to this course.

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND GIVEN IN LECTURES DURING SEMESTER

1 Plants and their physiologogical functioning, ecosystems and biomes Jana Albrechtová

- Plants: phylogeny - land transition, autotrophy, body organization,

- Ecological limits of the environment: abiotic and biotic factors

- Plant response to environmental factors - acclimation and adaptation, tolerance and avoidance, stress responses

- Basic physiological functions of plants in ecosystems: Photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration

- Food chain: position of plants – primary producers

- Global distribution of radiation and precipitation, altitude gradient

- Ecosystem - definitions, flows of information and energy

- Biosphere

- Basic climate zones of the Earth

- Biomes, overview of terrestrial biomes of the Earth

- Anthromes

- Life forms of plants and their spectrum in biomes

- 21st century challenges to the physiological functions of plants in ecosystems: population feeding,

- Ecosystem services,

- Climate change.

2 Plants and carbon metabolism: photosynthesis and primary production Zuzana Lhotáková

- Photosynthesis: light and dark phases (reminiding basic principles)

- Different metabolic types of photosynthesis - C3, C4 and CAM types of photosynthesis, Geographical distribution of C3 and C4 plants

- Factors influencing photosynthesis

- Photosynthetic adaptations in different biomes – examples, case studies

- Energy balance on level of leaf, stand, gradients in irradiance, sun and shade acclimation of leaves in anatomy nad physiology

- Net and gross primary photosynthetic production, net ecosystem exchange

- Factors affecting primary production

3 Plants and water: water properties, water realtions at plant and ecosystem levels Zuzana Lhotáková

Plant physiology – water relations

- Water – major factor in plant distribution

- Physical and chemical properties of water important for life and plants

- Adaptation of plants during the transition to land

- Water potential: soil-plant-atmosphere continuum

Plant functions in ecosystems – case studies

- Methodological window – how to measure water potential

- Plants – water and energy in the landscape (transpiration cooling)

- Plants in the water cycle – an example of the Amazon

4 Plants and soil: soil properties, plant mineral nutrition Petr Kohout

- Definition and function of the pedosphere and soil

- Physical and chemical properties of soil

- Soil types and soil horizons

- Pedogenesis: soil formation and development

- Significance and evolution of the root

- Soil microbes (bacteria, fungi, yeast) and fauna

5 Plant functional traits and their importance for ecosystems, biotic interactions of plants Petr Kohout

- Trait ecology of plants

- Plant growth strategies: CRS, R* rule

- Functional properties of plants: above ground vs. underground

- Relation of plants to biotic components of the ecosystem

o Symbiosis with other organisms: types of plant symbiosis

o Relationships between plants: intra- and interspecific competitions

o Plant-soil feedback

o The relationship of plants to other biotic components of the ecosystem

6 Plants and root symbioses: mycorrhiza, N-fixing procaryota Petr Kohout

- Nitrogen fixing bacteria

- Mycorrhizal symbiosis

o arbuscular mycorrhiza

o ectomycorrhiza

o ecology of mycorrhizal symbioses

7 Plants in different ecosystems and their monitoring using plant traits: effect of extreme temperatures, salinity, hypoxy, heavy metals, phytoremediation Lena Hunt

- Mechanisms of stress reactions - reminder from lecture 1: phases and mechanisms of stress response, osmotic and oxidative stress

- Plant functional traits aimed on biophysical and biochemical indicators of physiological status on leaf level

- Extreme temperatures

- Physiology of drought and salinity resistant plants (succulents, accelerated development of some species, etc.)

- Heavy metals and plants, phytoremediation

8 Plants in acquatic ecosystems Jana Albrechtová

- Specifics of the aquatic environment and carbonate balance

- Functionally ecological division of aquatic and wetland plants; an overview of Central European submerged aquatic plant genera and their taxonomic and ecological characteristics

- Overview of the most important adaptations for individual groups of aquatic and wetland plants

- Specifics of the anatomy of submerged aquatic plants

- Ecophysiology of mineral nutrition of submerged aquatic plants

- Photosynthetic characteristics / peculiarities and adaptations of submerged aquatic plants

9 Plants in biogeochemical cycles: P,N cycles, greenhouse gases, air pollution Jana Albrechtová

- Biogeochemical cycles:

- Global cycle N, P - the role and importance of plants in them

- Global carbon cycle

- Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the history of the Earth, role as a greenhouse gas

- Methane and its role as greenhouse gas

- Importance of terrestrial and aquatic (ocean) plants in the carbon cycle

- Anthropogenic influence of cycle C

- Plants in increasing CO2 concentration

- Air pollution: definition, causes,

- Forest decline, dieback and its study, monitoring physiological state of trees

- Study of the physiological state of plants under climate change: eddy covariance, FACE, increased CO2.

10 Plants under climate change, feedbacks Jana Albrechtová

- Climate change, causes, greenhouse gases, IPCC

- Plants as a climatic agent - vegetation as a stabilizing element - temperature, humidity

- The role of forest biomes in climate formation

- Consequences of ongoing climate change on plants:

- effects of CO2, temperature changes, extent and frequency of precipitation, ocean pH

- the impact of climate on forests on a global scale - pests, fires, changes in vegetation zones

- Forests - a source or sink for storing carbon in climate change.

- Feedbacks: about James Lovelock's model of the "world of daisies"

- Feedback in the global system of the Earth

11 Plants and remote sensing for vegetation monitoring Jana Albrechtová

- Optical properties: reflectance, transmittance, absorption

- Vegetation spectral curve

- Multispectral and hyperspectral methods

- Vegetation monitoring by remote sensing methods: vegetation indices

- Examples: vegetation mapping, NPP, phenology

PRACTICAL TRAINING IS GIVEN IN HOURS IN WEEKS IN MAY OR JUNE

Tasks:

Task 1: Vitality of the Spruce (Picea abies)

1a) Determination of vitality based on criteria of bud developmental directions

1b) Estimate chlorop