BSc in Biology
In the BSc biology curriculum, we offer or are involved in the following teaching units:
- Biodiversity of Plants (summer)
- Introduction to Molecular Systematics (winter)
- Introduction to Plant Geography (winter)
- Functional Morphology of Plants (winter)
Please note: All our teaching sessions in the BSc biology curriculum are in German. Of course we can switch to English in individual cases, but considering the large numbers of German students this will remain an exception.
Biodiversity of Plants
- Contact: Jens G. Rohwer( Jens.Rohwer"AT"uni-hamburg.de)
- Target groups: BSc biology students, 4th semester
61-033 Synopsis of the Plant Kingdom (lecture)
Dieter Hanelt, Jens G. Rohwer
We present an overview of the most important groups of organisms that are tradionally the subject of botany (i.e., more than just "plants"): cyanobakteria ("blue-green algae"), the most important groups of algae, mosses, liverworts, ferns and other pteridophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms, as well as the most important groups of fungi, including lichens. The basic questions answered are:
- Which are the most important evolutionary lineages?
- How can they be recognized?
- What are the stages of their reproductive cycles?
- What are the scientific terms for their most important structures?
- In which way are they related?
- What makes one group more successful than another?
61-034 Morphology and Systematics of Native Vascular Plants (lecture)
Jens G. Rohwer
This lecture explains the fundamentals necessary to become familiar with the native flora. Topics include:
- The most important structures of flowering plants
- Terminology for description and determination of plants
- The most important native plant families and how to recognize them
- The most important crop plants from these groups
61-035 / 61-036 Selected Examples from the Plant Kingdom (seminar / practical course)
Felicitas Gunter, Dieter Hanelt, Jens G. Rohwer
In this course the students have the opportunity to examine selected representatives of the groups treated in "Synopsis of the Plant Kingdom" and to familiarize themselves with the morphological details of these organisms.
61-037 Introduction to Plant Determination (practical course)
Jens G. Rohwer, Stefan Rust
The students will learn how plant species are determined based on morphological characters. The necessary terminology is presented in the lecture "Morphology and Systematics of Native Vascular Plants". Since a reliable determination requires more practice, it is recommended that students interested in organismic botany (evolution, ecology, conservation or systematics) choose "Determination of Vascular Plants" (61-705) instead of this course.
61-705 Determination of Vascular Plants (practical course)
Jens G. Rohwer, Stefan Rust
A reliable determination of plants is not only essential for research in evolution, ecology, conservation or systematics, but is also a skill in demand by many employers, such as conservation authorities, environmental NGOs, consultants and planning offices. Here we show how that works, and the students have the opportunity to practice and to improve their skills.
61-038 Biological Field Course in Botany
Kai Jensen, Angela Niebel-Lohmann, Jens Rohwer, Matthias Schultz
Biologists are expected to know their ways around in nature. Even in a city like Hamburg the diversity is much higher than most inhabitants are aware of. On small excursion (more like open air lectures) we show an explain the most frequent and conspicuous plant species in Hamburg, plus numerous less common species in the city and in near-natural habitats around Hamburg. We explain the living conditions in the areas visited, and sometimes make them physically tangible.
Field Course in the Alps
– due to lack of teaching capacity, we are no longer allowed to offer this unit –
- Contact: Angela Niebel-Lohmann( Angela.Niebel-Lohmann"AT"uni-hamburg.de)
- Target groups: BSc Students in biology, 4th sem. (and onwards)., M.Ed. students
61-146 Seminar for the Field Course in the Alps
Angela Niebel-Lohmann
61-147 Field Course in the Alps (practical course)
Angela Niebel-Lohmann
Introduction to Molecular Systematics
- Contact: Jens G. Rohwer( Jens.Rohwer"AT"uni-hamburg.de)
- Target group: BSc biology students, 5th semester
Macromolecular methods, particularly DNA sequencing, revolutionized systematics and population biology. They allow the reconstruction of relationships with unprecedented precision – but they also have their pitfalls. We guide you through all necessary steps from collecting of plant material to calculation of the most probable phylogenetic tree for the species investigated. Special emphasis is placed on the fundmental methods, their practical application, data analysis and possible sources of error. The different parts of this teaching unit are closely interlinked.
61-163 Introduction to Molecular Systematics (lecture)
Jens G. Rohwer
61-164 Lab work in Molecular Systematics (practical course)
Felicitas Gunter
61-165 Analysis of Sequence Data (exercise)
Jens G. Rohwer, Felicitas Gunter
Introduction to Plant Geography
- Contact: Jens G. Rohwer( Jens.Rohwer"AT"uni-hamburg.de)
- Target group: BSc biology students, 5th semester
61-173 Introduction to Plant Geography (lecture)
Jens G. Rohwer
This lecture presents an overview of the natural plant cover of the world. A short introduction to terminology and basic methods of floristics and vegetation science is followed by an overview of the floristic realms that can be recognized based on the distributions of certain plant groups. The main part of the lecture then consists of detailed descriptions of the main vegetation formations (e.g., tundra, desert, rainforest) and the conditions of life in these biomes, including climatic, edaphic and biotic factors. The lecture is richly illustrated, predominantly with photos by the lecturer.
Functional Morphology of Plants
- Contact: Stefan Rust( Stefan.Rust"AT"uni-hamburg.de)
- Target group: BSc biology students, 3rd semester
61-024 Fundamentals of Botany (practical course)
Kristin Ludewig, Angela Niebel-Lohmann, Stefan Rust, Klaus von Schwartzenberg, Anna Voggenreiter-Sander
The external appearance of plants is more or less familiar to most people, much less their internal structures. The question why these structures look the way they do can throw new light upon the seemingly self-evident. In the teaching unit ‘Functional Morphology of Plants’ we examine the challenges for plant life on land and the evolutionary “inventions” that helped to master these challenges, based on selected examples. In the context of structure and function we get to know the morphology and anatomy of the fundamental organs of higher land plants, in order to acquire the foundation for a physiological comprehension of these organisms.