Phytochemistry ((4 Credits))

Catalog description

Phytochemistry is a biology study to help students gain an understanding of how phytochemicals, the chemical compounds produced by plants, affect plant communities and the species and populations they interact with. Phytochemicals influence plant growth, predation by insects, fungal and bacterial interactions in plants and competition between plant communities. Phytochemistry is also an important component of human nutrition, pharmacognosy and human health. Human nutrition focuses on the constituents of foods and their nutritive value, including vitamins, minerals and metabolites. Pharmacognosy is the branch of science pertaining to the use of medicinal drugs derived from plants. Phytochemicals affect everyday life from the coffee we drink, to supplements we take and what foods we may utilize in our diets. Prerequisites: Plant Biology ( BIOL 2400 ), Plant Ecology ( BIOL 3308 ), and Chemistry I with lab ( CHEM 1205 )