Dr. Shpak teaches “Introductory Plant Physiology” BCMB321.
This class is targeted at junior and senior students majoring in biology. It covers cell and organismal physiology of plants, genetics, metabolic processes, mineral nutrition, control of growth and development, effects of environmental factors on plant growth, and the role of biotechnology in modern agriculture.
The textbook for the class is Essential Plant Biology by Alison M. Smith, J. Allan Downie, Nicholas Harberd, Jonathan D. G. Jones, Lars Østergaard, Robert Sablowski, Colwyn M. Thomas. 2026.
Below are topics discussed in the class and links to videos that will help you to recall what you have learned about these topics in high school or lower-level undergraduate classes and to better understand the material that we discuss in class.
Genes and Genomes
| Subtopic | Video Link | Description of Video |
| Nuclear genome and structure of chromosomes | Link | “What are chromosomes?” Bozeman video, 5:34 min, high school AP level |
| Cytoplasmic genomes (genomes of plastids and mitochondria) | Link | “Extranuclear inheritance” A Khan Academy video, 7:13 min, high school AP level |
| Polyploidy | Link | “Why Do Strawberries Have Eight Copies of Their Genes” SciShow video, 6:47 min, popular science |
| Link | “How Do Seedless Watermelons Reproduce?” SciShow video, 4:05 min, popular science | |
| Differential gene expression | Link | Online Developmental Biology: “Analyzing Gene Expression” 11:05 min, college level |
| Arabidopsis as a model organism in plant genetics | Link | “Arabidopsis: the model plant” 2:15 min, college level |
Cell Biology of Plants
| Subtopic | Video Link | Description of Video |
| The overall structure of plant cell | Link | Austin Visuals 3D Animation Studio “Plant Cell”, 2:57 min, high school level |
| Endoreduplication | ||
| Mitosis, Plant cytokinesis | Link | Mitosis in lily cells, 1:24 min, high school and college level |
| Division of plastids | ||
| Transport of proteins to plastids | Link | SRP Dependent Pathway of Protein Transport to Thylakoid, Hussain Biology video, 2:21 min, college level |
| Glycosylation of plant proteins | ||
| Structure of primary and secondary plant cell wall | Link | Cellulose synthesis by plant cells by Drew Berry Animation, 2:18 min, high school and college level |
| Link | Plant Primary Cell Wall by 3D Illustrations, 1:20 min | |
| Link | The cell wall by Siobhan Braybrook (UCLA), 27:11 min, upper-undergraduate and graduate level | |
| Plant cell expansion | Link | Cell Wall Mechanics and Growth by Siobhan Braybrook (UCLA), 33:34 min, upper-undergraduate and graduate level |
Metabolism
| Subtopic | Video Link | Description of Video |
| Control of metabolic pathways | Link | Metabolism basics – Enzyme regulation, 5:22 min, by Derek McLachlin, college level |
| Photosynthesis | Link | Where Do Trees Get Their Mass? 4:09 min by Veritasium, popular science |
| Link | Photosynthesis Unleashes Chemical Superweapon: Oxygen, 5 min by Science Channel, popular science | |
| Link | Understand how the presence of different pigments determines a plant’s color. By Britannica, 2 min, popular science | |
| Link | The chloroplast, 5:36 min by Bozeman Science, high school AP level | |
| Link | Photosystem II by ndsuvirtualcell, 4:32 min, high school and college level | |
| Link | Photosynthesis and Photorespiration, 12 min by Bozeman Science, high school AP level | |
| Link | Photosynthesis, 13 min by Crash course, high school AP level | |
| Link | Reduction and oxidation, 3:55 by Derek McLachlin, college level | |
| Sucrose transport | Link | “The Structure and Functions of Phloem” 3:20 min by Freesciencelessons, college level |
| Link | “Translocation in the Phloem”, 5 min, by Freesciencelessons, college level | |
| Carbon storage | Link | “Uses of Glucose from Photosynthesis”, 2:27 min, by Freesciencelessons, college level |
| Link | “Structure and Properties of Starch Part 1”, 3 min, by Freesciencelessons, college level | |
| Link | “Structure and Properties of Starch Part 2”, 2:50 min, by Freesciencelessons, college level | |
| Link | Lipids, 7 min, by Bozeman Science, high school AP level | |
| Mineral nutrition: assimilation of nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, and iron | Link | Plant Nutrition and Transport, 14 min, by Bozeman Science, high school AP level |
| Link | The Man Who Killed Millions and Saved Billions, story about nitrogen fertilizers, 22 min, by Veritasium, popular science | |
| Link | Plant Nitrogen Uptake and Assimilation, 5:09 min, by Photoperiodismlab, college level |
|
| Link | Plant Nutrition: Mineral Absorption, 4:36 min, and The story of iron by ndsuvirtualcell, college level | |
| Link | Nitrogen & Phosphorus Cycles: Always Recycle!, 9:21 min, by Crash course, high school AP level | |
| Movement of water and minerals | Link | How Trees Bend the Laws of Physics, 7:22 min, by Veritasium, popular science |
Plant Development
| Subtopic | Video Link | Description of Video |
| General principles of plant development | ||
| Light and photoreceptors | Link | Phototropism Explained, 3:29 min, by Science Sauce, high school level |
| Link | Phototropism and Auxin, 2:12 min, IBHBiology, high school | |
| Link | Phytochromes, 5:11 min, BiologyWithNewhouse | |
| Introduction to plant hormones | Link | Plant Control, 7:53 min, by Bozeman Science, high school AP level |
| Embryo and seed development | Link | Embryogenesis in Plants, 3:32 min, by Sci-ology, high school and college level |
| Shoot development: the maintenance of shoot apical meristem, leaf initiation and polarity, internode elongation, apical dominance, and senescence | Link | Structure of the SAM, 2:09 min, by Sci-ology, high school and college level |
| Link | The Real Reason Leaves Change Color In the Fall, 2:29 min, by MiniuteEarth, popular science | |
| Link | Elliot Meyerowitz Modeling Arabidopsis phyllotaxis, 28 min, by IBiology, college level | |
| Root development: root structure and growth (including gravitropism) | Link | Developmental Zones of the Root, 1:12 min, by sci-ology, high school and college level |
| Link | Effects of auxin concentration on the growth of shoots and roots; 1:44 min, Oxford Mastering Biology, high school and college level | |
| Plant reproduction | Link | Alternation of Generations, 17 min, by the PenguinProf, college level |
| Link | Double Fertilization in Angiosperms, 4 min, by Peter Klappa, high school and college level | |
| ABC model of flower development | Link | ABC Model of Flower Development, 3:54 min, by sci-ology, college level |
| Link | The ABCs of Flower Development by Martin Yanofsky, 29:30 min, college level | |
| Flowering and Photoperiodism | Link Link |
Photoperiodic Flowering part I and II, By the BioClock Studio, 8:20 min and 7:47 min, college level |
Abiotic Stress
| Subtopic | Video Link | Description of Video |
| Light as stress | ||
| High temperature stress | ||
| Drought stress | ||
| Salt stress |
Biotic Interactions
| Subtopic | Video Link | Description of Video |
| Plant pathogens | Link | Introduction to Plant Pathogens, by Dr. DeBusk, 14:30 min, college level |
| Link | Bananas Are Losing the War on Fungus, 4:20 min, by SciShow, popular science | |
| Link | This Plant Is A Vampire, 7:37 min, by Animalogic, popular science | |
| Link | The Irish Potato Famine (1845–1852), 5:41 min, by Simple History, popular science | |
| Link | See how Potato Late Blight develops by Corteva Agriscience, 3:39 min, college level | |
| Plant defenses | Link | How plant immune systems protect them from disease – Jonathan Jones, 54 min, by Gatsby Plant Science Education, college level |
| Link | The amazing ways plants defend themselves 6:11 min, by Valentin Hammoudi, high school level | |
| Link | Plant Defenses, 16:33 min, by Dr. Says, college level | |
| Link | Introduction to Plant-Pathogen Interactions, 19 min, by Dr. He, college level | |
| Link | The Top 10 Deadliest Plants (They Can Kill You!), 8:17 min, by SciShow, popular science | |
| Link | Why Does Caffeine Exist? By PBS Eons, 10:41 min, popular science | |
| Symbiosis of plants with bacteria and fungi | Link | Legume and Bacteria Symbiosis by Sharon Long, 18 min, college level |
| Link | Mycorrhizal Fungi Animation, 1:08 min, Primrose TV, popular science | |
| Plant insect interactions | Link | Why Insects & Plants Have a Complicated Relationship, 28 min, by SciShow video, popular science |
Agriculture and Biotechnology
| Subtopic | Video Link | Video Description |
| Domestication, Agriculture, Organic farming and GMOs | Link | “Corn Shouldn’t Be Food, But It Is” by SciShow video, 7:04 min, popular science |
| Link | Norman Borlaug: The Controversial Father of the Green Revolution, 21:30 min, by Biographics, popular science | |
| Link | Why are GMOs Bad (they are not)?, 11:25 min, By SciShow, popular science |
|
| Link | What Does “Organic” Mean, and Should You Buy Organic Foods? 10:47 min, By SciShow, popular science | |
| Link | How Safe Are Pesticides, Really? 12:15 min, By SciShow, popular science |
Interested to learn more about plant biology? Check out lectures that describe biological phenomena at a deeper level at: https://www.ibiology.org/research-talks/plant-biology/ or learn more about plants from short, engaging videos about plant biology https://plantae.org/short-engaging-videos-about-plant-biology/.