This course consists of lectures, practical courses and full-time excursions in Switzerland (especially in the subalpine and alpine zones) during which the knowledge about plant systematics, native and introduced plant species, and ecological factors (mainly climate and soil) is expanded and deepened.

The practical focuses on the flora and vegetation of the colline and montane belts in Valais. Students are offered guided field excursions to deepen their knowledge of plant species and to learn to recognise important vegetation units and their ecological characteristics.

In this research seminar we will critically discuss current topics in Ecological Genetics using publications from the leading scientific journals in this field.

The excursion in the area of Davos illustrates how the interactions between climatic and edaphic factors shape the distribution of alpine plants. Visits of multiple sites on different bedrocks in the subalpine and alpine elevational belts reveal connections between climatic conditions, soil formation and vegetation development.

The lecture provides an overview of the diversity of ferns and seed plants. The fundamentals of systematics are taught considering morphological, phylogenetic and ecological aspects. Regarding plant species, emphasis is laid on the flora of Switzerland, but also examples of pharmaceutical relevance and crops will be included.

The lecture gives an overview over tasks, concepts and methods of the four fields of biological systematics (taxonomy, nomenclature, phylogeny and classification). Emphasis is put on modern methods of inferring phylogenetic relationships and on the high significance of biological collections for research in systematics.