Course Resources Archive
NS6203: Population and Community Ecology
| Module Title | Population and Community Ecology |
|---|---|
| Module Code | NS6203 |
| Module Tutor | Matthew Wood |
| School | Natural and Social Sciences |
| CAT Points | 15 |
| Level of Study | 6 |
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Co-requisites | None |
| Restrictions | Cannot be counted with BIO332 or BIO223 |
| Brief Description | This module explores the fundamental biology that underpins the way that populations, communities and ecosystems function in the real world. These classical fields of ecology are of wide importance in biology, and have been reinvigorated recently by the use of new technological and analytical approaches. Population and community ecology is increasingly relevant to our understanding of the natural world, particularly in regard to the ecology of climate change, sustainability and conservation. This module complements NS6208Conservation Ecology |
| Indicative Syllabus | This module considers the theoretical foundations of population and community ecology, and uses this knowledge to consider relevant questions in biology. How and why do populations grow, remain stable or decline in size? How does competition regulate interactions between populations, including predator-prey interactions, parasitism and symbiosis? What is the nature of an ecological community, and how do population interactions influence its structure? What makes a food web robust to disturbance? This module will use a range of learning approaches including lectures, practical exercises, data workshops, seminars and a field study. This module would suit students with broadinterests who would like to study ecology in more depth. |
| Learning Outcomes | A student passing this module should be able to: 1. Understand and explain the complex processes in population and community ecology 2. Recognise and justify the importance of ecological interactions in shaping the structure of ecological communities 3. Apply advanced theoretical understanding to current issues in ecology and critically evaluate the value of long term studies of populations and communities 4. Use computing resources to construct and test population models 5. Provide pertinent answers to questions under time-constrained conditions 6. Critically evaluate the theoretical basis of biological concepts, and illustrate understanding using supporting evidence from primary sources and case studies |
| Learning and Teaching Activities | Scheduled Contact Hours: 36 Independent Learning Hours: 114 |
| Assessment (For further details see the Module Guide) | 001: 50% Coursework: Individual, standard written: 2000 words or equivalent 002: 50% Written Exam: In-class, seen, open book: 2.00 hours |
| Special Assessment Requirements | |
| Indicative Resources | The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide. |
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