BIO3070 - Trends in ecology - 2019

This unit will investigate what's hot in the science of ecology and how we got there by following the history of ecological ideas and the people behind them through to the big questions that remain unanswered in ecology today. The ecological dimensions of space and time will be a common theme running through the unit as we explore the ecology of fitness, interaction networks and the four 'M's - metacommunity ecology, metasystems, metabolic ecology and macroecology. Underpinning all of this will be the recognition of the interplay between ecology and evolution that is blurring the distinction between the two disciplines. Each topic and its core concepts will be covered in lectures and the relevance of these topics to the changing world and to conservation will be discussed. Material presented in lectures will be supported by practical and tutorial sessions. Together we will read and interpret 'hot off the press' ecology research papers, debate controversial topics in the field, delve into live data and design experiments to answer unsolved problems.

On completion of this unit students will be able to:

1. Explain and describe current topics in ecology and their core concepts;
2. Discuss the development of ecological ideas and current questions in the field;
3. Gather, analyse, interpret and discuss primary data and research publications in the topics covered;
4. Design experiments and develop hypotheses to test contextually-relevant research questions;
5. Present and debate unanswered questions and controversial ideas in the field;
6. Work effectively in individual and peer or team contexts.

NOTE: From 1 July 2019, the duration of all exams is changing to combine reading and writing time. The new exam duration for this unit is 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Examination (2 hours): 50%

Continuous assessment: 50%

Note that the continuous assessment will include online quizzes, analysis of data, design of experiments, presentations and structured debates during tutorial sessions, as well as the evaluation and discussion of publications during tutorials.

• Two 1-hour lectures
• One 3-hour practical or tutorial per week

See also Unit timetable information

Ecology and conservation biology

Environmental science

Plant sciences

Zoology