# CPSC20040

**Source**: https://hub.ucd.ie/usis/!W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=MODULE&MODULE=CPSC20040&TERMCODE=202500&ACYR=2026
**Parent**: https://hub.ucd.ie/usis/!W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=COURSE&MAJR=CPS1&AUDIENCE=

Academic Year 2025/2026

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#### Physiological Plant Ecology (CPSC20040)

Subject:
:   Crop Science

College:
:   Health & Agricultural Sciences

School:
:   Agriculture & Food Science

Level:
:   2 (Intermediate)

Credits:
:   5

Module Coordinator:
:   Dr Cathal McCabe

Trimester:
:   Spring

Mode of Delivery:
:   On Campus

Internship Module:
:   No

How will I be graded?
:   Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module provides an understanding of the processes underlying plant growth and productivity, with emphasis on the physiological basis for interactions between plants and the environment. \
\
Topics covered include: growth and development in plants; plant hormones, plant age, canopies and growth phase. \
\
How plants interact and survive in their environment and their interactions with other organisms (for example beneficial relationships)\
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Photosynthesis and source-sink relationships are examined as well as physiology such as plant phototropism; photo-morphogenesis and photoperiodism: endogenous rhythms, vernalisation and dormancy .

## About this Module

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### What will I learn?

###### Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to:\
\
Understand the growth and development of plants. \
Explain the physiological basis of plant-environment interactions. \
Describe the physiological basis of plant and crop productivity. \
Demonstrate an ability to follow protocols and manipulate experimental data. \
Construct lab reports to communicate experimental findings. \

### How will I learn?

###### Student Effort Hours:

| Student Effort Type | Hours |
| --- | --- |
| Specified Learning Activities | 30 |
| Autonomous Student Learning | 39 |
| Lectures | 22 |
| Practical | 14 |
|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Total | 105 |

\

###### Approaches to Teaching and Learning:

This module includes: \
lectures\
practical lab work in pairs (which is assessed) \

### Am I eligible to take this module?

###### Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.

\

###### Module Requisites and Incompatibles

Not applicable to this module.
\
 \

### How will I be assessed?

###### Assessment Strategy

| Description | Timing | Component Scale | Must Pass Component | % of Final Grade | In Module Component Repeat Offered |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Assignment(Including Essay): There will be 4 practicals/assignments in total over the semester.  Each individual laboratory will be worth 12.5% of the total module grade (50%) in total.  Attendance at 1st lab is mandatory | Week 3, Week 5, Week 7, Week 9 | Standard conversion grade scale 40% | No | 50 | No |
| Exam (In-person): End of semester exam in RDS.   Answer 4 questions from 6 | End of trimester  Duration:  2 hr(s) | Standard conversion grade scale 40% | No | 50 | No |

\

###### Carry forward of passed components

Yes

\

### What happens if I fail?

| Resit In | Terminal Exam |
| --- | --- |
| Autumn | Yes - 2 Hour |

*Please see [Student Jargon Buster](https://www.ucd.ie/students/services/ucdstudentjargonbuster/) for more information about remediation types and timing.* \

### Assessment feedback

###### Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment\

###### How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Students will receive feedback via Brightspace on their practical hand ins which can be used to improve the following practical write-up.
There will also be the opportunity for in class feed back.
There are 4 lab hand ins of which 3 are required. If students complete all 4 hand ins they will be awarded the best of the 4 marks.

### Associated Staff

| Name | Role |
| --- | --- |
| Dr Cathal McCabe | Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |

### When is this module offered?

**Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.**

|  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Spring | Lecture | Offering 1 | Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 | Thurs 13:00 - 13:50 |
| Spring | Lecture | Offering 1 | Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 | Tues 13:00 - 13:50 |
| Spring | Practical | Offering 1 | Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 | Tues 15:00 - 16:50 |

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