Ecology and Economic Botany

Paper Code: 
BOT 302
Credits: 
3
Contact Hours: 
45.00
Max. Marks: 
100.00
Objective: 

The course aims at studying the interactions between environment and organisms so as to increase the awareness among students about global environmental concerns. It also focuses on economic utilization of plants.

 

9.00
Unit I: 
Ecology and environment

Definition and scope, interaction of climatic, topographic, edaphic and biotic factors constituting the environment components, ecological niche.

Community Ecology: Definition and brief history, characteristics of a community, ecological succession, composition, structure, origin and development of a community

 

9.00
Unit II: 
Ecosystem

Introduction, types of ecosystem, structure and function of ecosystem, biotic and abiotic components, food chain, food web, ecological pyramids, energy flow, productivity. Biogeochemical cycles (carbon, oxygen and nitrogen)

Plant adaptation: Soil-Plant Atomosphere Continuum (SPAC); morphological anatomical and physiological adaptations of Hydrophytes, Xerophytes and  Halophytes with special reference to Eichhornia, Hydrilla, Casuarina, Nerium and  Rhizophora

 

9.00
Unit III: 
Pollution and climate change

Air, Water and Soil Pollution: sources, effects on plants and ecosystems, control measures, greenhouse effect, ozone depletion, global warming, El Nino, La Nina.

 

9.00
Unit IV: 
Biodiversity Conservation

Ex-situ and In-situ conservation, endangered and endemic plants, Red data book, afforestation, social forestry, chipko movement. Organization associated with biodiversity conservation – IUCN, UNEP, WWF and NBPGR; Biodiversity Hotspots

 

9.00
Unit V: 
Economic Botany

Origin, cultivation and uses cereals - wheat, rice and maize; medicinal plants -  Sarpgandha, Guggal, Quinine, Ashwagandha, Spices and condiments -  black pepper, cardamom, clove and cumin, Oil crops: Sunflower, Safflower, Sesame and Groundnut; Commercial crops - tea, rubber and sugarcane

Essential Readings: 
  • Anonymous . 1997. National Gene Bank: Indian Heritage on Plant Genetic Resources (Booklet). National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New York.
  • Arora, RK and Nayar,, ER. 1984. Wild Relatives of Crop Plants in India. NBPGR Science Monograph No. 7.
  • Baker, HG. 1978. Plants and Civilization (3rd edition).. CA Wadsworth, Belmont.
  • Bole, PV and Vaghani, Y. 1986. Field Guide to Common Indian Trees. Oxford University Press, Mumbai.
  • P.D.Sharma. Ecology and Environment. Rastogi Publication.
  • H.S. Mann , Arid Zone Research and Development. Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur.
  • Odum, EP. 1971. Fundamentals of Ecology. Saunders, Philadelphia. New York.
  • Bendre and Kumar, A. 1998. Economic Botany. Rastogi Publications, Meerut.
  • Kocchar, SL. 1998. Economic Botany in Tropics, 2nd edition. McMillan India Ltd., New Delhi.
  • Pandey. 1993. Economic Botany. S. Chand & Co., New Delhi.
  • Sharma, OP. 1996. Hill’s Economic Botany (Late Dr. AF Hill, adopted by OP Sharma). Tata McGraw Hill Co. Ltd., New Delhi.

 

 

 

References: 
  • Kumar and Suresh. 2002. Economic Botany. Campus books International, New Delhi.
  • Barbour, MG; Burk, JH and Pitts, WD. 1987. Terrestrial Plant Ecology. Benjamin/ Cummings Publication Co., New York.
  • Begon, M; Harper, JL and Townsend, CR. 1996. Ecology. Blackwell Science. Cambridge, USA.
  • Brady, NC. 1990. The Nature and Properties of Soils. McMillan.
  • Chandel, KPS; Shukla, G and Sharma, N. 1996. Biodiversity in Medical and Aromatic Plants in India: Conservation and Utilization. NBPGR, New Delhi.
  • Chapman, JL and Reiss, MJ. 1988. Ecology: Principles and Applications. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, UK.
  • Desert Ecology. I. Prakash. Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur.
  • Sambhamurthy, AVSS and Subramanayam, NS. 1989. A Text Book of Economic Botany. Wiley Eastern Ltd., New Delhi.
  • Simpson, BB and Conner- Ogorzaly, M. 1986. Economic Botany- Plants in Our World. McGraw Hill, New York.

 

 

 

 

Academic Year: 
2019-2020
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