RECOMMENDATIONS/PREREQUISITES: No pre-requisites beyond the admissions standards required to gain a place on the course.

Transcription

1 1 MODULE: MODULE NUMBER: JACS CODE: Ecology BIO00001C C180 STAGE / YEAR: 1 CREDITS: 20 ORGANISER: PROGRAMME COMMITTEE: Thorunn Helgason BIO VERSION: August 2013 TERMS TAUGHT: Au/Sp/Su 2013/14 RECOMMENDATIONS/PREREQUISITES: No pre-requisites beyond the admissions standards required to gain a place on the course. SUMMARY: This course introduces the processes within and the interactions among all levels of the ecological hierarchy, from individuals and populations to ecosystems and biomes. The first term focuses on processes and responses to abiotic environments in plants, animals and microbes. Topics include animal behaviour, plant physiology and microbial processes. The second term focuses on population and community ecology, including interactions between predators and their prey, the ecology of invasive species, and human impacts on communities. LEARNING OUTCOMES: 1. An introduction to the principles of ecology. 2. An awareness of how animal behaviour can be studied at four levels: mechanistic, ontogenetic, functional and phylogenetic. 3. An understanding of the importance of scale in ecology. 4. An understanding of the principles of element cycles. 5. An understanding of the nature of adaptation and the ways in which organisms adapt to stressful environments. 6. An understanding of how biomes are determined by plant-environment interaction. 7. How an understanding of historical events is needed to explain modern ecosystems. 8. An understanding of the population dynamics of single and multi-species communities. 9. An understanding of simple emergent patterns in community structure and their causes. 10. An understanding of natural and anthropogenic extinction risks, their causes, and which species are most at risk. 11. An understanding of the global distribution of biodiversity, and current threats to biodiversity. 12. An understanding of the ecological factors which make a good invader, and the consequences of invasions. 13. An understanding of the theory of Island Biogeography and why small isolated islands support fewer species. 14. The ability to perform simple experiments in ecology and to collect, analyse and present the results in an appropriate format.

2 2 SYNOPSIS OF TEACHING: Event Duration Topic Staff Room type Timing (Hrs) Part 1: Introduction to Autecology L1 1 The scope of ecology: Ecological hierarchies and the knowledge required to tackle ecological problems. L2 1 Individuals and life histories 1: The growth of individuals and life history flexibility. L3 1 Individuals and life histories 2: Life histories, growth rates and resource allocation. L4 1 Introduction to Ethology: Questions about behaviour. PJM P1 Grp 1/2/3 Practical 1 Part 1 in the morning due to being outside 3 Feeding and habitat selection in ducks: The practical involves fieldwork and subsequent analysis of collected data. (three groups) L5 1 Mechanisms of behavior: Genetic factors, nervous system, hormones and biological rhythms. L6 1 Ditto PJM Practical 1 Part 2 Any time due to being in A004 P1 3 Feeding and habitat selection in ducks: The practical involves Grp 1/2/3 fieldwork and subsequent analysis of collected data.(three groups) L7 1 The function of behaviour: Foraging and habitat selection PJM L8 1 The phylogeny of behaviour: Evolution of behaviour, why PJM closely related organisms are expected to be similar. L9 1 The development of behaviour: Types of learning are outlined PJM with examples including habituation, associative learning, social learning, and cognitive maps. L10 1 Introduction to physiological ecology: The dynamic nature of plant/environment interactions. Practical 2 Part 1 Any time due to being in the lab P2 3 An experiment of plants grown in different temperatures will be Grp 1 & 2 harvested. Data collected will include root and shoot weight, R:S ratio, leaf area, stomatal density. (two groups) L11 1 Climate change and adaptation to contrasting habitats: We begin by discussing the processes that control temperatures of the Earth and individuals, after which the major biomes and adaptive features of their characteristic plants are discussed. MDT Outside 3 x separate mornings PJM MDT Biolabs A004 3 x sep sessions Biolabs L12 1 Stress tolerance and growth analysis: The control of growth rate. Practical 2 part 2, any time due to being in the lab P2 3 Plant growth and temperature: An experiment of plants grown in Biolabs

3 3 Grp 1 & 2 different termperatures will be harvested. Data Collected will include root and shoot weight, R:S ration, leaf area, stomatal density. (two groups) L13 1 Growth in harsh environments: The impacts of adaptation on inherent maximum rates of plant growth. L14 1 Response to variable environments: How atmospheric CO2 is assimilated in C3, C4 and CAM plants. L15 1 Introduction to microbes and microbial ecology: The primary groups of microbes responsible for key ecosystem processes will be introduced. L16 1 Ecosystem ecology: The carbon cycle is a key material cycle and the controls on rates within the C cycle will be discussed. L17 1 Mineral cycles and ecosystem structure: The nitrogen and phosphorous cycles are given as examples of contrasting mineral cycles. L18 1 Succession: Changes in community structure & diversity, climax communities & cyclic succession, conservation. L19 1 Historical Ecology, Invasion and Migration : Historical events play a major role in determining the composition of modern communities. Part 2: Biotic interactions L20 1 The population dynamics of single species : Properties of JKH populations & life tables, population growth, intra-specific competition. L21 1 The population dynamics of single species continued: JKH Properties of populations & life tables, population growth, intraspecific competition. L22 1 Ditto JKH Wk3 or 4 at the latest L23 1 The population dynamics of interacting species: Inter-specific JKH competition, predation & predator-prey interactions. L24 1 ditto P3&P4 Parts 1 & 2: 1-8 two sessions per week in the morning OM Biolabs Monday & Friday to start after L22* L25 1 Food webs: Properties of food webs & their structure, food JKH chains and trophic levels. L26 1 Island Biogeography: Species-area relationships. Importance of JKH area and isolation on species richness of islands. P3&4 Parts 3 and 4: *see parts 1&2 above. OM Biolabs L27 1 Invasions: Consequences of invasion, what make a good CD

4 4 invader, dispersal. L28 1 Ditto CD L29 1 Ditto CD P3&4 Parts 5 and 6: * see parts 1&2 above OM Biolabs L30 1 Dispersal: The ecology of dispersal and its significance will be CD discussed. L31 1 Community stability: Resilience & resistance. Abiotic and OM anthropogenic sources of disturbance. P3&4 Parts 7 and 8: * see parts 1&2 above OM Biolabs L31 1 Practical 3&4 debrief: To take place as soon as possible after OM practicals have finished eg week 8 L32 1 Rarity: Definitions of rarity. Relationships between range and OM abundance. Correlates of rarity. L33 1 Extinction: Estimates or extinction rates, changes in rates over OM time. Which species are at risk? L34 1 Biodiversity: Human impacts. Habitat destruction. OM L35 1 Ditto OM L36 1 Ditto OM L37 1 Ditto OM W/shop 1 Grp 1 Supported Learning: Term 3 1 Supported Learning Workshop: A problem worksheet will be OM A004 Wk 1 given out with questions on data handling, experiment design, data presentation etc., based on a case study related to the course material and focussed on exam revision material. 1 Ditto OM A004 Wk 1 W/shop 1 Grp 2 W/shop 2 1 Ditto MDT Grp 1 JKH W/shop 2 1 Ditto MDT Grp 2 JKH W/shop 3 4 x 1hr This workshop is focussed on revision for the Ecology course. Staff will each run through their part of the course material, highlighting the main lerning outcomes of their lectures AHF PJM JKH CD OM KEY TEXTS: These are available in EARL which is accessible through the VLE module site. A004 Wk 2 A004 Wk 2 Wk 3

5 5 ASSESSMENT: Formative: Summative: See VLE 2 x practical write-ups each weighted 10% of module mark 2.5 hour closed examination in summer assessment period Re-assessment: 2.5 hour closed examination in August resit period DEMONSTRATING REQUIREMENTS: MAXIMUM NUMBERS: to capacity of and biolabs STUDENT WORKLOAD: students workload totalling 100 hours per 10 credit module Lectures: 37 Workshops: Supported learning sessions Practicals: 28 Total Contact hours: 65 Assessments (formative and summative): Private study: 135