Instrumentation for Plant Biology: Integration of Cellular and Organismal Events

直到最近，由于缺乏仪器设备，在实验室中展示植物功能的综合观点一直受到阻碍。学生在基于发现的实验室体验过程中学习植物生理过程的细胞和分子方面的知识，但他们将这些实验研究扩展到生物体水平的机会有限。这个项目现在正在修改植物生物学实验室的经验，以便学生们将会理解在活的有机体固有的组织水平之间建立联系的重要性。他们还将从实验室和田间研究中了解特定环境条件对所有植物功能水平的影响。实施这一新的实验室课程将需要便携式仪器来测量叶绿素荧光、气体交换、蒸腾和植物水势。该设备的加入将使学生能够在实验室、温室和田间测量光合作用和植物水分关系的各个方面。除了这些科学目标外，这一新课程将为基于发现的学习提供新的机会，并促进学习者和教师社区的形成。

Until recently, the presentation of an integrated view of plant function in the laboratory has been hindered by a lack of instrumentation. Students learn about cellular and molecular aspects of plant physiological processes in the course of discovery-based laboratory experiences, but they have had limited opportunities to extend these experimental studies to the organismal level. This project is now revising the plant biology laboratory experiences so that students will come to understand the importance of making connections between the levels of organization inherent in living organisms. They will also gain an appreciation of the influence of specific environmental conditions at all levels of plant function, from both laboratory and field studies. The implementation of this new laboratory curriculum will require portable instrumentation to measure chlorophyll fluorescence, gas exchange, transpiration, and plant water potential. The addition of this equipment will enable students to measure various aspects of photosynthesis and plant water relations in the laboratory, greenhouse, and field. In addition to these scientific goals, this new curriculum will provide new opportunities for discovery-based learning and promote the formation of communities of learners and teachers.