Abstract:

Teaching Plant Ecophysiology often faces the challenge of linking theoretical concepts with the complexity of plant strategies under extreme environments, while also encouraging comparative analysis and higher-order reasoning. To address these needs, we propose the design of an innovative seminar activity for undergraduate Biology students at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). The initiative is designed to incorporate digital tools, artificial intelligence (AI), and gamification into a collaborative framework aimed at enhancing student engagement, analytical skills, and scientific communication. Students, working in groups of four, will select one extremophile plant species from a predefined list (e.g., Azorella compacta, Salicornia europaea, Welwitschia mirabilis) and examine it in comparison with the model species Arabidopsis thaliana. Their primary task will be to produce a structured scientific article covering taxonomy, morphology, ecological context, physiological adaptations, and evolutionary implications. Tutorials will be providing ongoing support for bibliographic research and writing. A digital innovation will be introduced through AI-based visualization. Using simplified datasets and climate scenarios, students will generate maps of current and projected species distributions.

These visualizations will serve as prompts for critical interpretation, guiding questions such as:
- Which abiotic factors restrict the distribution?
- What physiological mechanisms underpin resilience or vulnerability under climate change?

This stage is intended to strengthen the student´s ability to connect physiological traits with ecological and biogeographic dynamics. Gamification will add an additional dimension. In a peer review exercise, each group will assess another group’s draft article using simplified rubric, simulating the logic of academic publishing and promoting evaluative judgment. Subsequently, a congress simulation will be held through Wooclap: groups will present concise two-minute pitches arguing why their species should be considered the “champion of resilience.” Real-time voting on categories such as robustness, originality, and clarity will stimulate active participation, followed by a collective debate. Assessment will combine multiple sources: rubric-based evaluation (40% scientific content, 20% organization, 20% critical reflection, 20% communication), peer review feedback, and symbolic input from voting. The activity is planned to run across the semester: species assignment (weeks 1-2), bibliographic research and AI integration (weeks 3-6), draft preparation (weeks 7-8), peer review (week 9), congress simulation (week 12), and submission of final outputs (weeks 1-14). This design is expected to deepen students´ understanding of plant physiological processes under stress, while cultivating analytical thinking, collaboration, and digital literacy. By blending research, AI visualization, gamified interaction, and communication tasks, it aims to offer a flexible and transferable model for teaching in biology and related disciplines.

Keywords:

Plant ecophysiology, species distribution, AI-based visualization, active learning, peer assessment, scientific literacy, curriculum innovation.