ZL2102:03
Animal Ecology and Conservation
Townsville
Prerequisites: BS2001 ZL1001
Inadmissable Subject Combination: ZL5001
26 lectures, 8 tutorials, 9 hours practicals. Second semester.
Staff: Dr C Johnson.
This subject is an introduction to the key ideas in the ecology of animals. In presenting these ideas, the subject emphasises not only the ways in which they can be used to explain the distribution and abundance of animal species, but also their importance in helping us understand the causes of extinction and providing the scientific basis for the management of threatened species. The subject focuses on the behaviour of individual animals in an ecological setting and on the dynamics of populations, but also describes the processes that determine the number of species able to coexist in communities. Topics include fertility, mortality and population regulation; the ecology of animal movement; the ecology of social organisation and reproductive strategies; interactions between species (competition, facilitation, predation, parasitism); limits to the coexistence of species.
Learning Objectives:
- familiarity with key concepts in animal ecology;
- appreciation of the relationship between ecological theory and conservation;
- ability to critically assess ecological hypotheses.
Assessment by final examination (50%); essay (20%); tutorial participation (10%); assignment (20%).