BT3280 - Tropical Rainforest Ecology
| Credit points: | 03 |
| Year: | 2005 |
| Student Contribution Band: | Band 2 |
| Administered by: |
This subject covers aspects of the ecology of Australian closed forests and associated vegetation, including origins, classification and factors determining distribution and diversity, and responses to environmental stresses (including global climate change). Dynamic features of rainforest vegetation will be considered, including effects of disturbance, succession and gap-phase regeneration; nutrient cycling, nutrient and water conserving mechanisms; productivity, light climate and photosynthesis; herbivory and plant defence mechanisms; phenology and seasonality of rainforest plants.
Learning Outcomes
- to develop an appreciation of the factors which need to be considered in the conservation and management of rainforests;
- to gain an understanding of the ecology of rainforests, with emphasis on Australian communities;
- to gain experience in identifying rainforest plants and the basic techniques used to describe vegetation and soils;
- to introduce students to current rainforest research being undertaken in the school;
- to provide fundamental knowledge of how rainforest plants respond to the environments in which they live;
- to undertake a small project designed to introduce students to research techniques in an area of personal interest, providing them with an indication of what is involved in honours or postgraduate research projects.
| Prerequisites: | BT1020 and BZ1030 |
| Inadmissible Subject Combinations: | BT5026 and BT5280 |
Availabilities | |
| , , Study Period 2 | |
| Census Date 31-Aug-2005 | |
| Coord/Lect: | Robert Congdon. |
| Contact hours: |
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| Assessment: | (55%); (45%). |
Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.