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Professor Daniel Chamovitz, Ph.D.

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Understanding Plants - Part I: What a Plant Knows

Tel Aviv University

About this Course

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For centuries we have collectively marveled at plant diversity and form—from Charles Darwin’s early fascination with stems and flowers to Seymour Krelborn’s distorted doting in Little Shop of Horrors. This course intends to present an intriguing and scientifically valid look at how plants themselves experience the world—from the colors they see to the sensations they feel. Highlighting the latest research in genetics and more, we will delve into the inner lives of plants and draw parallels with the human senses to reveal that we have much more in common with sunflowers and oak trees than we may realize. We’ll learn how plants know up from down, how they know when a neighbor has been infested by a group of hungry beetles, and whether they appreciate the music you’ve been playing for them or if they’re just deaf to the sounds around them. We’ll explore definitions of memory and consciousness as they relate to plants in asking whether we can say that plants might even be aware of their surroundings. This highly interdisciplinary course meshes historical studies with cutting edge modern research and will be relevant to all humans who seek their place in nature. 
This class has three main goals: 1. To introduce you to basic plant biology by exploring plant senses (sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste, balance). 2. To introduce you to biological research and the scientific method. 3. To get the student to question life in general and what defines us as humans.

Once you've taken this course, if you are interested in a more in-depth study of plants, check out my follow-up course, Fundamentals of Plant Biology (https://www.coursera.org/learn/plant-biology/home/welcome).

In order to receive academic credit for this course you must successfully pass the academic exam on campus. For information on how to register for the academic exam – https://tauonline.tau.ac.il/registration

Additionally, you can apply to certain degrees using the grades you received on the courses. Read more on this here – 
https://go.tau.ac.il/b.a/mooc-acceptance

Teachers interested in teaching this course in their class rooms are invited to explore our Academic High school program here – https://tauonline.tau.ac.il/online-highschool

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Beginner Level

Approx. 11 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

Plant Biology
Genetics
Cell Biology
Plant

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Beginner Level

Approx. 11 hours to complete

English

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Instructor

Instructor rating

4.89/5 (434 Ratings)

Professor Daniel Chamovitz, Ph.D.

President, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

113,874 Learners

2 Courses

Offered by

Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv University (TAU) is Israel's largest institution of higher learning – with over 30,000 students and more than 125 schools and departments in nine faculties. Global in outlook and impact, it is consistently ranked among the world's top 100 universities, as well as the top 20 institutions in terms of scientific citations. A spirit of openness and innovation is evident in all of TAU's teaching and research activities, breaking down barriers between disciplines, and boldly striving to address the twenty-first century's most pressing challenges.

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating96%(15,203 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

1 hour to complete

Introduction

1 hour to complete

9 videos (Total 45 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week2

Week 2

2 hours to complete

What a Plant Sees?

This week we start a systematic review of a plant's sensory systems by starting with plant responses to light. We will cover an overview of human vision, plant responses to light, Darwin's experiments showing plant responses to light, phototropism, phytochrome and flowering, and modern research on phototropism. In other words, this week we get into more advanced concepts in plant sensory biology. The last module is especially advanced, and will be clearer for those of you with a strong biology background. But do not fret, aside from very basic concepts, this module will NOT be included in the exam (you will not be responsible for understanding the intricacies of the experimental methods, etc.). If you have not already, please review the Course Syllabus for general information about this course.

2 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 50 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week3

Week 3

2 hours to complete

What a Plant Smells?

This week we continue our systematic review of a plant's sensory systems by exploring responses to volatile chemicals (in other words, what a plant smells). We start with an overview of the plant cell, briefly review human olfaction (smell), and then explore how fruits know when to ripen. From there we go over three different experiments that explore plant responses to volatile chemicals and start exploring the controversial question, "Do plants communicate with each other?".

2 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 48 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week4

Week 4

2 hours to complete

What a Plant Feels?

This week we continue our systematic review of a plant's sensory systems by exploring responses to tactile stimulation (in other words, what a plant feels). We start with an overview of the mechano-sensory system that differentiates between different tactile stimulations, briefly review the way electricity is used in neural communication, and then explore how the Venus flytrap knows when to close, and what powers the opening and closing of the Mimosa leaves. We'll learn how plants change their structure to cope with windy conditions, and go over some of the rather complex biology that is involved in the genetic response in plants to being touched. I'll let you know what I think of the question, Do plants feel pain? And then we'll try to understand whether plants hear, and if they do, which music they prefer.

2 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 78 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

10 videos

4.1 Introduction to the Human Mechano-Sensory System7m4.2 How Does the Venus Trap Know When it has been Touched?7m4.3 Water and the Plant Cell6m4.4 Leaf Movement in Mimosa4m4.5 Thigmomorphogenesis8m4.6 Genes that Respond to Touch4m4.7 Do Plants Feel Pain?3m4.8 The Sound of Music and Plants10m4.9 Plants and Deaf Genes10m4.10 Sound Perception in Plants13m

1 reading

Week 4 - Suggested Reading30m

1 practice exercise

What a Plant Feels?10m

Week5

Week 5

2 hours to complete

How a Plant Knows Where it is?

This week we continue our systematic review of a plant's sensory systems by exploring the 6th sense - proprioception. We start with an overview of the proprioceptive system that allows us to keep our balance and to know where are body parts are in space. Theמ we will explore how plants know up from down, using both experiments from a few hundred years ago, and experiments conducted on the space station. We'll go over the structure of roots more in detail in order to understand where the cells are that sense gravity. We'll revisit phototropism, and learn what the chemical signal is in plants that allows them to respond to light and gravity. And lastly, we'll learn what makes a plant dance.

2 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 51 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week6

Week 6

1 hour to complete

What a Plant Remembers?

This week we move beyond survey of a plant's sensory systems, and explore how plants retain, store and recall sensory information. In other words, we ask the questions, What do plants remember? We'll try to define what we mean by "memory" and briefly review different types of human memory. The we'll look at the short-term memory found in the Venus fly trap, and the long term morphogenic memory first described 50 years ago by the Czech scientist Rudolf Dostal. We'll have a guest lecture from Prof. Nir Ohad about epigenetics and the long-term memory of winter, and even the role of epigenetics in trans-generational memory.

1 hour to complete

6 videos (Total 33 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week7

Week 7

2 hours to complete

The Aware Plant

This is the final week in our journey through a plant's sense of the world. This week's lecture has two separate parts. In the first part, we continue last week's discussion of a plant's ability to remember to a more theoretical discussion on the definition of memory and consciousness. This leads us to the question, "Are plants intelligent?". We'll hear what some of the students in this class think of intelligence before finishing with a quick examination of "intelligence", and end with my own take on a plant's, and our place, in the world. In the second part we'll go for a tour of my lab and see our plant growth facilities. I'll give you a brief overview of one of the projects in my lab, and you'll meet a few of the students doing the research. And in the end, you'll even get to meet Dr. Aviva Katz.

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 29 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

Reviews

4.8

499 reviews

5 stars
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4 stars
11.47%
3 stars
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1 star
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TOP REVIEWS FROM UNDERSTANDING PLANTS - PART I: WHAT A PLANT KNOWS

by MRSep 30, 2016

So far, I'm really enjoying this course. I like the look of it, the professor is engaging and as a layperson I find the content very, very interesting. What a wonderful take on plant biology!

by AAApr 28, 2021

Very helpful and really interesting classes. It also provides more basic information about the plant world.

Now I am really more and more excited about Plant science.

by RGJul 12, 2020

I really enjoyed the course. Learned a lot of new things and was able to brush up quite certain things as well. Looking forward to continue the part II of this course

by CBFeb 3, 2020

the information presented is relatable and makes total sense-largely due to Proffessor Chamovitz' explanations. I thoroughly enjoyed this course, can't wait for part two!

View all reviews

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Understanding Plants - Part I: What a Plant Knows

Understanding Plants - Part I: What a Plant Knows

About this Course

Skills you will gain