SubjectsSubjects(version: 978)
Course, academic year 2025/2026
   
Phylogeny and morphology of vascular plants (for biology teachers) - MB120P72
Title: Botanika cévnatých rostlin (pro učitelské kombinace)
Czech title: Botanika cévnatých rostlin (pro učitelské kombinace)
Guaranteed by: Department of Botany (31-120)
Faculty: Faculty of Science
Actual: from 2020
Semester: summer
E-Credits: 4
Examination process: summer s.:
Hours per week, examination: summer s.:3/1, C+Ex [HT]
Capacity: 50
Min. number of students: unlimited
4EU+: no
Virtual mobility / capacity: no
State of the course: taught
Language: Czech
Is provided by: MB120P176
Explanation: pouze pro repetenty
Additional information: http://dl2.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=1923
Guarantor: Mgr. Marek Slovák, Ph.D.
Teacher(s): doc. RNDr. Lubomír Hrouda, CSc.
Mgr. Hana Chudáčková
Mgr. et Mgr. Kateřina Iberl, Dr. rer. nat.
RNDr. Barbora Lepková, Ph.D.
Mgr. Marek Slovák, Ph.D.
Annotation -
Please note that the lectures are given in the Czech language only.


LECTURE
This course offers a coherent and illustrative introduction to the diversity of vascular plants on Earth, presented against the background of the latest knowledge on their evolution and phylogenetic relationships. In the lectures and accompanying practical classes, students become familiar with the basic characteristics, modes of reproduction, distribution and typical representatives of individual families of spore-bearing, gymnosperm and angiosperm plants, representing not only the Central European flora but also important (especially economically useful) plants from around the world. At the same time, the lectures provide an excellent opportunity to review and expand knowledge of plant morphology and of the history, basic methods and principles of vascular plant taxonomy.

PRACTICALS
The lecture is complemented by practical classes that allow students to observe, on living material, the main representatives of the families covered, their morphological characteristics and the differences between related plant groups.

The practical part of the course consists of 12 sessions; to obtain the course credit (zápočet), students must attend at least 10 of these in person. In addition, active participation and successful completion of the final identification test are required.

Students with specific needs (SSP) or an individual study plan (ISP) are requested to inform the course coordinator before the beginning of the semester of any limitations for which they would like the teaching adjusted.

They are also required to inform the coordinator or the teacher in charge of their seminar group at least 14 days before the credit test/exam by e‑mail of any limitations on which they would like to adjust the conditions for completing the course. We apologise, but due to the high number of enrolled students we are not able to take individual limitations into account without sufficient advance notice.

ALL MATERIALS FOR LECTURES, PRACTICALS AND THE EXAM FOR THE SUMMER SEMESTER 2025 CAN BE FOUND ON GOOGLE DRIVE:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1y79_IuvVcvjGtSI4sForwzksi820lkuv?usp=drive_link

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Course credit (zápočet) – attendance at at least 80% of practicals + successful completion of the final identification test (“poznávačka”; minimum score 60%). The identification test is taken as part of the practical test.

Exam – the exam will be written. In justified cases, especially for students with special needs, the exam may also be oral, subject to prior agreement with the instructor.

Grading scale (exam result, %):
100–91 = 1
90–75 = 2
74–60 = 3
59 and below = 4


Last update: Slovák Marek, Mgr., Ph.D. (13.02.2026)
Literature -

Judd W. S. et al. (2002): Plant Systematics. A phylogenetic approached, ed. 2. - Sinauer Inc., Sunderland, Mass.

Simpson M. (2006): Plant systematics. - Elsevier Ac. Press

Last update: Stančík Daniel, RNDr., Ph.D. (28.04.2009)
Requirements to the exam - Czech
1. Zápočet - účast na alespoň 80% praktik + úspěšné zvládnutí závěrečné poznávačky (minimální zisk 60% bodů). Poznávačku provedou studenti u testu z praktik.


2. Zkouška bude probíhat písemně. V odůvodněných případech, zejména u studentů se speciálními potřebami, může zkouška proběhnout také ústně, a to po předchozí dohodě s vyučujícím.


Známkování zkoušky bude následovné (čísla jsou uvedené v procentech):

100 – 91 = 1
90-75 = 2
74-60 = 3
59 a méně = 4
Last update: Slovák Marek, Mgr., Ph.D. (05.02.2026)
Syllabus -
  1. Introduction to the phylogeny and classification of vascular plants; origin and diversification of vascular plants; evolution of organs and life cycles; characters important for classification; methodological approaches

  2. Spore-bearing plants – the earliest land plants (Protracheophyta, Rhyniophyta)

  3. Spore-bearing plants – the microphyll lineage of vascular plants – lycophytes (Zosterophyllophyta, Lycopodiophyta)

  4. Spore-bearing plants – the megaphyll lineage of vascular plants – ferns, horsetails and whisk ferns (Equisetophyta, Psilophyta, Polypodiophyta)

  5. Seed plants – evolutionary characteristics, apomorphies (flower)

  6. Gymnosperms – cycads

  7. Gymnosperms – ginkgo, conifers

  8. Gymnosperms – gnetophytes (Gnetophyta); transition towards angiosperms

  9. Angiosperms (Magnoliophyta, Angiospermae): characters, diversification

  10. Angiosperms – basal angiosperms (Magnoliopsida); the earliest angiosperm, the basal ANA grade including magnoliids

  11. Angiosperms – monocots (Liliopsida): characters, evolution, representatives

  12. Angiosperms – “true” eudicots (Rosopsida): characters, evolution, representatives

  13. Clade Rosidae (basal families, Eurosids I and II)

  14. Clade Asteridae (basal families, Euasterids I and II)

The basic unit is the family: for each family, characteristic and evolutionarily important traits, phylogenetic position, distribution, key representatives (with emphasis on the Central European flora), notable features and economic importance are presented.

Last update: Slovák Marek, Mgr., Ph.D. (05.02.2026)
Learning outcomes -

Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

  • explain the main stages of the phylogeny and diversification of vascular plants and their organs, including the key transition of plants from water to land; describe the morphological, anatomical and physiological adaptations that enabled this transition (e.g. development of the cuticle, vascular tissues, supporting tissues, specialised reproductive structures) and clarify their significance in the evolution of terrestrial flora;

  • describe and compare the key characters of the main lineages of spore-bearing and seed plants, including the principal lineages of gymnosperms and angiosperms, and explain their importance for modern classification;

  • critically evaluate different phylogenetic and classification approaches (morphological, molecular, phylogenomic), understand their limitations, interpret selected phylogenetic trees and infer evolutionary relationships from them (monophyly versus paraphyly and polyphyly, origin of apomorphies and other characters, convergences and parallelisms, etc.);

  • integrate theoretical knowledge of plant phylogeny, general biology and ecology with practical identification and comparison of selected families and species of vascular plants, and use information on phylogenetic relationships and family-level characters when addressing problems in nature conservation (e.g. identification of threatened phylogenetic lineages);

  • translate expert knowledge on plant evolution and diversity into comprehensible teaching (design simple teaching activities, phylogeny models, field exercises), select examples mainly from Central European flora that foster the development of critical and ecological thinking in pupils, and communicate these topics effectively;

  • in practical terms, independently or in groups collect, prepare, observe and identify selected representatives of vascular plants using identification keys, herbarium material and digital resources, appropriately document the results of their work (report, poster, presentation) and defend them in professional discussion;

  • discuss ecological, conservation and economic aspects of individual groups of vascular plants, including the impacts of global change on their diversity, reflect on the importance of plant diversity for ecosystem functioning and human society, and communicate this importance clearly in both professional and popular/science-education contexts.

Last update: Slovák Marek, Mgr., Ph.D. (05.02.2026)
 
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