Plant population biology - W 1400-216POPR-W

1. Life-history of plants
plant life cycle; continnuum of growth strategies: annual plants, biennial plants and
perennial plants
2. Dispersal of seeds
characteristic seed dispersal patterns in flowering plants; the role of animals and man in the dispersal process; seed rain; general relationships between seed density and distance from source; evolution of seed dispersal
3. Dormancy of seeds
dormancy as a phase in life cycle; categories of seed dormancy; genetically controlled dormancy polymorphism; somatic polymorphism; patterns of seed dormancy in natural communities; dynamics of the seed bank
4. Germination of seeds
germination and the recruitment of seedling populations; small-scale variations in the environment - "safe sites"; factors affecting the recruitment of seedlings.
5. Spatial structure of population
environmental factors (abiotic and biotic) affecting the distance between individuals; basic types of spatial structure of populations; the dynamic of the spatial structure of population
6. The effecs of neighbours
the influences of population density on growth, plant-to-plant variation and mortality;
7. Plasticity of higher plants
plasticity in size; plasticity in form; density responses in annual, biennial and perennial plants; the influence of population density on the form and reproduction of trees
8. Age-structure and size-structure of plant population
age-groups of individuals in population; age-structures of above-ground shoots and
below-ground parts of plants; individualsize and the risk of mortality
9. Generative reproduction of plants
the influence of density on generative reproduction; variation in fecundity as the result of a partitioning of resources
10. Vegetative reproduction in the higher plants
examples of different vegetative reproduction of plants; the importance of vegetative growth in long-lived plants
11. Partioning of resources
flowering as an alternative of vegetative growth; the allocation of resources between seed numbers and seed size; the significance of very small seeds; the number of seeds as the product of successive allocation
12. Sex ratios within dioecious species
some examples of dioecious species; ecological role of male and female plants;
mortality risk affected by sex differentiation; competition between male and female
individuals
13. Natural selection
variation within populations of apomicts (Taraxacum officinale); genetic variation within plant populations; basic types of selection; selection in a patchy environment; fitness and adaptation
14. Dynamic of plant population
seasonal and long-term changes in the number of individuals; basic types of the population dynamics; environmental and intrapopulation factors affecting population changes
15. Plant population as a part of biocenoses
patterns of plant communities; competition between species; populations of dominant
plants; population of edificators; impact of animals on plant populations