MB3190 - Coral Reef Ecology

Credit points:	03
Year:	2006
Student Contribution Band:	Band 2
Administered by:

Available to level 3 students with suitable background (invertebrate biology, statistics, computers). A quota will apply on the basis of marks in MB2060.

A treatment of the major aspects of coral reef ecology, including population dynamics, reef community structure and diversity, effects of environmental disturbances, competition and predation, and reef management. Emphasis is on the mechanisms and processes that shape coral reef communities and how they respond to environmental change. The course combines the presentation of theoretical quantitative and conceptual models in lectures with laboratory computer exercises and a 3-day field project. The course content complements that of MB3210.

Learning Outcomes

• become familiar with the key processes underlying patterns of recruitment, abundance, and community diversity on coral reefs;
• understand the link between resources and environmental stressors at the level of the organism and demographic processes;
• develop insight into the role of species interactions in the dynamics, diversity and resilience of coral reefs;
• develop an understanding of the interactions between different types of environmental disturbances and the responses of coral reef systems.

Prerequisites:	MB2060 (a course quota will be based on marks in this subject)
Inadmissible Subject Combinations:	MB3199

Availabilities
, , Study Period 2
Census Date 08-Sep-2006
Coord/Lect:	Professor Morgan Pratchett.
Contact hours:	26 hours 20 hours 32 hours
Assessment:	(50%); (50%).
Restrictions:	Enrolment in this offering is restricted.

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.