BZ5440 - Ecology and Conservation
| Credit points: | 03 |
| Year: | 2016 |
| Student Contribution Band: | Band 2 |
| Administered by: | College of Science and Engineering |
Available to postgraduate students enrolled in the Graduate Certificate of Science, Graduate Diploma of Science, Graduate Diploma of Research Methods, Masters of Applied Science, Masters of Development Practice, Graduate Certificate of Development Practice, Graduate Diploma of Development Practice or Masters of Science.
This subject is an introduction to the key ideas in the ecology of animals and plants. In presenting these ideas, the subject emphasises on the ways they can be used to understand how species interact with the environment; to explain the distribution and abundance of species; and to explore the causes of extinction providing scientific basis for wildlife management. Topics include evolutionary ecology of individual species (life history strategies, adaptive/neutral evolution and sexual selection); population dynamics; community ecology (species interactions and island biogeography); ecological networks; introduction to biodiversity conservation and the reality of current conservation efforts.
Learning Outcomes
- ability to critically assess ecological hypotheses;
- understanding of ecological processes involved in the maintenance of high species diversity in tropical ecosystems;
- familiarity with key concepts in population and community ecology;
- appreciation of the relationship between ecological theory and conservation and management of natural populations and communities.
| Assumed Knowledge: | Students enrolling in this subject should have an undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline (eg biology or environmental science) or have acquired equivalent knowledge through other study. |
| Inadmissible Subject Combinations: | AG2006 BZ2440 BZ2880 BZ5880 |
Availabilities | |
| Townsville, Internal, Study Period 2 | |
| Census Date 25-Aug-2016 | |
| Coordinator: | Professor Stephen Williams |
| Contact hours: |
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| Assessment: | end of semester exam (25%); tutorial attendance and participation (15%); lecture exams (15%); essays (15%); field trip assessment (15%); oral presentation (15%). |
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.