Course Title: Collect and classify plants

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term1 2011

Course Code: AGRI5008C

Course Title: Collect and classify plants

School: 155T Vocational Health and Sciences

Campus: City Campus

Program: C5161 - Diploma of Conservation and Land Management

Course Contact: Nevil Schultz

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 99254221

Course Contact Email: nevil.schultz@rmit.edu.au


Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Nominal Hours: 120

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

There are no prerequisites

Course Description

This course is designed to provide opportunities for the development of plant classification, identification, collection and preservation skills. Learning opportunities are provided to acquire underpinning knowledge for these skills, and include study in:
fundamentals of biological taxonomy, evolutionary and taxonomic hierarchies, binomial classification, major phyla, common exotic plant families, common native plant families, vegetation associations, ethical and legal requirements before collection, collection in the field, plant hygiene, safety considerations, recognition of key features of common genera, field herbarium construction, field herbarium applications, correct choice of herbarium materials, preservation techniques, herbarium sample maintenance, hand-lens & stereomicroscope use and plant dissection, herbarium practises such as plant sterilisation, mounting, labelling, ordering of species specimens, type specimens, use of field guides, use of botanical keys, sub-species & varieties, authorities used in nomenclature.

The course will run in the first year of the diploma over the first two semesters
 


National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:

RTC5011A Collect and classify plants

Element:

1. Prepare for plant collecting.

Performance Criteria:

1.1 Purpose and objectives for collecting range of plants is confirmed.
1.2 Area, location and/or habitat for collecting is defined.
1.3 Resources to assist in plant location and identification are determined and prepared.
1.4 Equipment required for collecting and preserving specimens is determined and prepared.
1.5 Licences and/or permission to collect specimens are sought from landowner or managing agency.
1.6 Range of likely operating conditions, hazards and difficult/sensitive environments are assessed for impact on  collecting and preserving specimens.
1.7 OHS hazards associated with plant collecting are identified.

Element:

2. Collect plant specimens

Performance Criteria:

2.1 Collecting ethics are observed when selecting specimens for picking.
2.2 Relevant information about the specimen, its characteristics and occurrence is entered into a field note book and location
coordinates are noted.
2.3 Specimen collected provides adequate material for identification and preserving.
2.4 Specimens are correctly tagged and stored for later identification.
2.5 Appropriate OHS legislative requirements and work practices are followed.

Element:

3. Identify plant specimens

Performance Criteria:

3.1 Preservation of specimen is undertaken while still fresh.
3.2 Specimen is cleaned and prepared for preserving according to enterprise guidelines.
3.3 Preserving of specimen carried out using either pressing or drying techniques.
3.4 Dried specimen is mounted and labelled with accurate information from notebook.

Element:

4. Preserve specimens

Performance Criteria:

4.1 Resources are identified and accessed to assist in identification.
4.2 The basic characteristics of a plant are identified and documented.
4.3 Relevant plant key is used to identify plant.
4.4 Plant identity is confirmed against botanical description of species.
4.5 Plant identity is documented on label according to enterprise guidelines

Learning Outcomes


This is a competency based program. Details of the competencies are provided above.


Details of Learning Activities

Introduction to plant taxonomy

Investigation of  evolutionary background of plants

Laboratory session to examine Non-vascular & Vascular plants

Anglesea field trip

Investigation of  families of Monocots & Dicots

Preparation for Plant Collection & Identification

Drying & pressing techniques

OHS of plant collection

Preparation of a field herbarium

 Field trip to municipal reserve

Comparison of Indigenous vs exotics

Plant dissection - angiosperm anatomy

Using Dichotomous plant keys

Distinguishing subspecies, provenance & genetics of plants

Identifying Eucalypt s & Wattles using Random access keys

Plant sketching and application of specialised nomenclature

Examination of adaptive features of Coastal & Aquatic Plants


Teaching Schedule

Week commencing Topic Learning Activity Assessment

1

Feb 7

  Plant Anatomy & Function    

 2

Feb 14

  Plant Evolution & Present Hierarchical Classification, Taxonomy & Nomenclature    

 3

Feb  21

  Non-vascular and vascular plants I  practical 1  

 4

Feb 28

 Anglesea field study preparation    

 5

7 March

   Anglesea field study on Coastal Woodlands    

 6

21 March

  Non Vascular & Vascular Plants II   Practical 1 due

 7

28 March

  Plant Collection & preservation techiques    

 8

4 April

 Identification using on-line resources    

 9

11 April

  Monocot  Practical

2a
 

 10

18 April

  Easter break

 

  

 11

2 May

  Dicots

 Practical

2b

  

 12

9 May

  Revision    Practical 2a & 2b due

 13

16 May

  Test    Test

 14

23 May

  Plant keys I    Anglesea report due

15

30 May

  Plant Keys II  

 Plant Key assessment

in-class

 16

 6 June

  Plant Collection Specifications  

 

 17

13 June

  Indigenous vs exotic plants    

18

20 June

 Eucalypts Intro    
   VACATION    
   VACATION    

 1

11 July

  Eucalypts II    

2

18 July

  Wattles    

 3

25 July

  Major Australian dicot families & Nomenclature  Practical 3a  

 4

Aug 1

  Major Australian Monocot families & Nomenclature  Practical 3b  

 5

Aug 8

  Updating species names, Presentation of plant collections & Herbaria Plant Collection update    Practical 3 & 4 due

6

Aug 15

  Plant provenance, subspecies & cultivars  Field Trip to Local Reserve  

 7

Aug 22

  Advanced plant Nomenclature & taxonomy I    

 8

Aug 29

  Advanced plant Nomenclature & taxonomy II    

 9

Sept 5

  Finalise Plant Collection    Plant Collection due

 10

Sept 12

  Exotic species     
Sept 19 Melbourne Flora Assemblages Grasses & Sedges    

 11

Sept 26

  Vacation    

 12

3 Oct

  Regional Biome Vegetation    

 13

10 Oct

  Grasses & Sedges   St Alban’s Trip  

 14

17 Oct

   Coastal & aquatic Vegetation    Log Book due
24 Oct Revision    
31 Oct Exam   3 Nov   Exam 3 Nov

 

Please note that this schedule is subject to alteration over the academic year

as some topics will vary in times required to receive adequate coverage.

Students should check emails often & regularly and maintain a high level of attendance at classes

to ensure they are aware  of any changes to the scheduling of topics or assessment dates


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts

Costermans, L. (1998), Trees of Victoria and Adjoining Areas, Costermans Publishing (A 164 page pocket field guide)


References

Costermans, C,  (2007) Native Trees & Shrubs of South-Eastern Australia, Reed New Holland

Australian Plants Society Maroondah, Inc. (2001), Flora of Melbourne, Hyland House, Melbourne

Clarke, I. & Lee, H., (2004), Name That Flower, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Vic


Other Resources

Australian National Botanical Gardens plant data Base :

http://www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/databases/index.html

 

Euclid CD ROM


Overview of Assessment

Assessment for this course may include a Plant Collection, reports, practical assessments and tests.


Assessment Tasks

Anglesea Woodland Plant report   CA/NYC

Practical 1     Vascular vs Non-vascular plants   CA/NYC      Due  24 March

Practical 2   Monocots & Dicots        Due 12 May

Test  on  Plant Function, Evolution, Hierachies, Vascular & Non-vascular plants 17 May

This test is worth 10% of the year’s grade

Plant Key In-Class Task  31 May

Practical 3a   Australian Dicots, Keys  & Nomenclature   CA/NYC  Due 11 Aug

Practical  3b  Australian Dicots, Keys & Nomenclature       CA/ NYC Due 11 Aug

Plant Collection  Graded Assessment  Due 8 Sept      CHD, CD, CCR, CC & NYC results     The plant Collection is worth 50% of the year’s grade

Log Book CA/NYC  Due 20 Oct

Exam       The exam is worth 40% of the year’s grade   3 Nov   2 Hours

Student’s must achieve 50% or greater in the combined test & exam grade to pass the course


Assessment Matrix

Other Information

This course denotes 120 nominal hours of student learning.

This comprises:

76 Face to Face Classroom hours

10  Hours Anglesea Fieldwork

4 Hours St Alban’s Grassland Fieldwork

8   Preparing Reports

8    Self-Directed Learning

14 Plant Collection Preparation

Course Overview: Access Course Overview