Biology for Agronomists (8 cr)

Evaluation scale

0-5

Content scheduling

The course field assignments are done during the growing season in the summer and the course ends in the autumn.

Objective

Purpose of the course:
After completing this course, you have learned the biological basics of agriculture and forestry and the main features of ecosystems.

Competences:
-agricultural competence
-forestry competence
-environmental competence
-competence of natural sciences

Learning outcomes:
You know the basic concepts and attributes of population, biotic community, ecosystem and agroecosystem and know main classifications of forests and peatlands. You are able to identify the factors affecting plant growth and know the basics of agroecology. You can identify 100 most essential plants for agriculture and forestry. You know how an aquatic ecosystem functions. You know how to use a microscope and are able to do growth potential observations of field soil.

Content

-the basic concepts of ecology
-population and ecosystem ecology
-nutrient cycles
-growth factors
-soil and its properties
-aquatic ecology
-microscopy work
-plants, growth, and plant identification

Materials

Haakana, H. 2018. Vesistöopas. Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto. Heinonen, R. 1992. Maa,viljely ja ympäristö. Porvoo. (as applicable); Pankakoski, A. 1997. Puutarhurin kasvioppi. Edita, Helsinki TAI Fagerstedt, K. 2008, Kasvioppi siemenestä satoon, Edita, Helsinki (as applicable); Kanerva, K. 1995. Kasvun tekijät, mitä kasvi tarvitsee kasvaakseen? Tampere (as applicable; Tiainen, J. ym. 2004. Elämää pellossa, Suomen maatalousympäristön monimuotoisuus. Edita, Helsinki. (as applicable); Online materials in Moodle.

Teaching methods

Lectures and online-lectures, laboratory assignments, field excursions, assignments, online-assignments

Exam schedules

At the end of the course, there will be an exam and - or a field exam as agreed at the beginning of the course, as well as two retake options.

Student workload

Lectures 20 h - field study 16 h - laboratory work 2 h - virtual study 35 h - assignments 50 h - independent study 94 h

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

Adequate 1:
You know the basic concepts and attributes of population, biotic community ecosystem and agroecology and know main classifications of forests and peatlands. You know the basics of the rotation of nutrients in ecosystem and photosynthesis. You know factors affecting plant growth, identify the main plants related to cultivation and the indicator plants of the forests and compile a virtual herbarium of 70 species. You know how an aquatic ecosystem functions. You can use a microscope and are able to do growth potential observations of field soil. Assignments are passed, but they contain deficiencies.

Satisfactory 2:
You can explain the concepts and attributes of population, biotic community, ecosystem and agroecology, identify the forest types and peatland classification. You can explain the rotation of nutrients in ecosystem and photosynthesis. You can explain the factors affecting plant growth, identify the main plants related to cultivation and the indicator plants of the forests and compile a virtual herbarium of 70 species. You know how an aquatic ecosystem functions. You can independently use a microscope and measure reliably the quality of field soil. Assignments are passed and they follow the instructions.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

Good 3:
You can apply the concepts and attributes of population, biotic community, ecosystem and agroecology and are able to classify the forests and peatlands. You can apply the knowledge of rotation of nutrients and energy flow in agriculture and forestry and are able to identify sustainability of human actions. You identify the main plants related to cultivation and the indicator plants of the forests and compile an error-free virtual herbarium of 70 species. You can independently use a microscope and measure promptly the qualities of field soil. Assignments are passed and they follow the instructions. Their reporting applies the course material.

Very good 4:
You can analyze the concepts and attributes of population, biotic community, ecosystem and agroecology and master the theory and practice of the classification of forests and peatlands. You can analyze the meaning of rotation of nutrients and energy flow in agriculture and forestry and are able to estimate the sustainability of human actions. You comprehensively identify the main plants related to cultivation and the indicator plants of the forests and compile an error-free virtual herbarium of 70 species. You can independently use a microscope and measure the qualities of field soil and analyze observations. Assignments are passed and they follow the instructions. Their reporting applies diverse sources.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

Excellent 5:
You are able to explain the functions of population, biotic community, ecosystem and agroecology mastering their concepts and attributes. You comprehensively master the theory and practice of the classification of forests and peatlands. You can justify the meaning of rotation of nutrients and energy flow in agriculture and forestry and are able to take into account ecological effects of human actions. You comprehensively identify the main plants related to cultivation and the indicator plants of the forests and compile an error-free virtual herbarium of 70 species. You can independently use a microscope and measure the qualities of field soil and make conclusions from observations. Assignments are passed and they follow the instructions. Their reporting is error-free and it applies diverse sources.

Further information

Assessment is based on learning tasks, online tests and an exam.