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Forest Botany

Course developer

Course abstract

Students study vascular plant morphology and systematics, importance of morphological features in plant classification; they study major economically important taxa, their diagnostics features, ecology, their significance in vegetation and their usage.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

• Knowledge about the forest taxa, morphology, biology, ecology and their significance in the ecosystems, their migration, geographical occurrence and floristic status in Latvia.
• Skills to analyze and evaluate the morphological features of the woody plants, to evaluate their taxonomic value and to identify taxa.
• Competence to evaluate and justify the expressions of the interaction of woody plants taxa and the environment, to discuss the suitability of the taxon to the particular ecological conditions.

Course Content(Calendar)

1st day. Bog vegetation – 8 h.
2nd day. Plant identification principles. Forest vegetation description methods – 8 h..
3rd day. Floristic composition of forests significantly non-affected by people. 1st post-field trip colluquium – 8 h.
4 th day. Floristic composition of drained forests. 2nd post-field trip colloquium – 8 h..
5 th day. Preparing individual herbarium – 8 h..
6 th day. Floristic composition of flood-land forests – 8 h.
7 th day. Coastal dune forest vegetation, its floristic composition. 3 rd post-field trip colloquium – 8 h.
8 th day. Floristic composition of ravine forests – 8 h.
9 th day. Floristic composition of foreign woody plant species plantations – 8 h.
10 th day. Practice defence – Submitting individual herbarium (prepared before the practice) and practice documents; test – 8 h.

Requirements for awarding credit points

Submitted and positively evaluated individual herbarium, submitted practice documents, obtained test on practice - passed.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

3 post-field trip colloquiums (vascular plants, lichen and moss of the forests significantly unaffected by people and drained forests) – diagnostic characteristics of taxa, their Latvian and Latin names.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

Positive evaluation of individual herbarium (if the herbarium is prepared and made according to the requirements).
The colloquiums are evaluated according to the required procedure (the plants should be recognized, their Latin and Latvian names should be learnt).

Compulsory reading

1. Pētersone A., Birkmane K. Latvijas PSR augu noteicējs. Rīga: Latvijas Valsts izdevniecība, 1980. 589 lpp.
2. Straupe I., Indriksons A., Kazāka. Koki, krūmi un zemsedzes augi Latvijas mežaudzēs.Jelgava: LLU, Studentu biedrība «Šalkone», 2014.178+1 lpp.
3. Gavrilova Ģ., Šulcs V. Latvijas vaskulāro augu flora: taksonu saraksts. Rīga: Latv. Akad. b-ka, 1999. 136 lpp.
4. Latvijas vaskulāro augu flora. Atb. red. V. Šulcs. [1-5]-13. Rīga: LU Bioloģijas institūts, 1999-2015.
5. Āboliņa A., Vimba E. Latvijas PSR mežu ķērpju un sūnu noteicējs. Rīga: LVI, 1959. 109+2 lpp.
6. Āboliņa A., Piterāns A., Bambe B. Latvijas ķērpji un sūnas: taksonu saraksts. Salaspils: Latvijas Valsts mežzinātnes institūts „Silava”, DU AA „Saule”, 2015. 213 lpp.

Further reading

1. Āboliņa A. Meža sūnas. Rīga: LAK, 1965. 157 lpp.
2. Strazdiņa L., Liepiņa L., Mežaka A., Madžule L. Sūnu ceļvedis dabas pētniekiem. Rīga: LU Akadēmiskais apgāds, 2011. 126 lpp.
3. Galeniece M., Tabaka L. Latvijas PSR sfagnu sūnu noteicējs. Rīga: ZAI. 1962. 109 lpp.

Periodicals and other sources

1. Priedītis N. Latvijas augi. Rīga: Gandrs. 888 lpp. http://www.latvijasdaba.lv/augi/

Notes

Practice within the compulsory academic Bachelor’s degree programme Forest science of Forest faculty.