BEH-Div-1

This module offers an in-depth, integrative introduction to the astonishing diversity of flowering plants (angiosperms) and the evolutionary processes that shaped them. Combining a lecture, a seminar, and a hands-on practical course including guided field excursions, it brings together plant systematics, phylogeny, morphology, molecular evolution, and biogeography into a coherent learning experience.

Selected fossil evidence is woven throughout to illuminate key evolutionary transitions, while contemporary topics such as global change, human impacts, and biodiversity conservation ensure that the module remains relevant to pressing real-world challenges. By the end, you will have both the theoretical foundations and the practical toolkit to think and work as an evolutionary botanist.

Lecture & Seminar

The lecture introduces you systematically to selected groups of flowering plants, covering their evolution, biogeography, and economic importance. The seminar deepens this knowledge through critical engagement with current scientific literature and student presentations.

Practical Course & Field Excursions

Laboratory sessions and guided excursions translate theory into practice — from microscope work on morphological specimens to fieldwork in natural habitats, DNA isolation, phylogenetic reconstruction, and ecological surveys.

• Systematics and phylogenetic relationships of vascular plants — morphological and molecular perspectives
• Patterns and processes of trait evolution; plant-geographical and molecular trait complexes
• Interpretation of morphological and molecular traits in an evolutionary framework
• Fossil evidence and key evolutionary transitions in angiosperm history
• Plant biogeography: historical and ecological drivers of diversity distribution
• Plant diversity in the context of global environmental change and human impacts
• Biodiversity conservation, management, and sustainable use of plant resources

Through the lecture and seminar you will build a solid theoretical foundation and develop the ability to communicate science effectively:

• Become familiar with selected groups of flowering plants, their evolution, biogeography and economic importance
• Recognise key morphological characteristics and understand major drivers of plant evolution
• Explain the theoretical principles and methodological approaches used in phylogenetic reconstruction
• Analyse and interpret morphological and molecular traits within a systematic and evolutionary framework
• Evaluate historical and ecological processes underlying the origin and distribution of plant diversity
• Assess how human activities and climate change influence current patterns of plant diversity and ecosystem function
• Critically read and discuss scientific literature on plant diversity and evolution
• Present findings effectively in both oral and written form

The practical course, laboratory sessions and field excursions give you the hands-on skills to work independently as a plant systematist and evolutionary biologist:

• Recognise and describe the diversity, morphology and systematic relationships of major angiosperm groups in natural habitats and scientific collections
• Apply fieldwork techniques, morphological investigations, ecological assessments and taxonomic identification
• Use scientific plant collections and document morphological traits in a comparative framework
• Perform DNA isolation, sequence analysis and integrate molecular and morphological datasets
• Reconstruct phylogenies, date phylogenetic trees and analyse trait evolution with appropriate analytical methods
• Record plant diversity in situ, evaluate ecological conditions and relate field observations to biogeographical and evolutionary patterns
• Understand drivers of current changes in plant diversity and discuss implications for conservation and management
• Synthesise theoretical and practical knowledge to interpret the origin, distribution and dynamics of plant diversity