Università Roma Tre

Effects of climate changes on plants. Environmental stresses. Plant responses to environmental stresses. Stress resistance and susceptibility in plants. Avoidance, defense and tolerance strategies. Adaptation and acclimatization. Phenotypic plasticity: morphological, physiological, biochemical and metabolic plasticity.
Morphological plasticity: indeterminate growth, primary meristems and stem cells, cell wall and distension growth. Morphogens. Photomorphogenesis. Tropisms.
Plant water balance. Water potential. The movement of water and solutes in plants. Stomata: structure, and regulation of the stomatal opening.
Photosynthesis: adaptations and acclimatization of the photosynthetic process to different climatic conditions. Photorespiration in C3 metabolism. C4 metabolism and acid metabolism of crassulaceae (CAM). Physiological and ecological considerations of photosynthesis. Interception of sunlight: leaf anatomy, leaf movement, chloroplast rotation, chlorophyll a / chlorophyll b ratio, the role of antenna complexes. Plant responses to the excess of light energy. The dissipation of excess energy. Damage-repair cycle of protein D1.
Adaptations and acclimatization to abiotic stresses: water deficit, saline stress, excess water and oxygen deficiency, high and low temperatures.

Luigi Sanità di Toppi. Interazioni piante-ambiente. PICCIN
Raven, Evert, Eichhorn - Biologia delle Piante - Zanichelli.

- pdf of the lectures
- other material prepared by the teacher


Prof. Cona receives every day by appointment via e-mail: alessandra.cona@uniroma3.it

Animal Physiology:
Introduction to the concept of internal/external environment and stress in animals. Phenotypic plasticity and definition of short term acclimatation and long-term adaptation. Homeostasis and mechanisms of animal response to variation of external environment. Mechanisms of integrated organismic response: nervous and endocrine system.
Animal physiological response to variation of chemical environmental factors. Oxygen: respiratory system and mechanism of ventilation. Cardiocirculatory system. Mechanism of sensing and response to oxygen low availabiity (hypoxia/anoxia) in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Examples of respiratory adaptations. Water and ions: mechanism of regulation of body water and electrolytes. Water and salinity tolerance. Examples of responses and adaptations to water and osmotic stress in aquatic and terrestrial habitats.
Animal physiological response to variation of physical environmental factors. Temperature: cellular and organismic effect of temperature. Mechanisms of response to temperature stress. Examples of responses and adaptations to low and high temperature in aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

- Fisiologia ambientale degli animali Pat Willmer Graham Stone Ian Johnston, Zanichelli
- Fisiologia Animale A. Poli, E. Fabbri, C. Agnisola, G.Calamita, G. Santovito, T. Verri Edises