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Semester 2

Ecological and Environmental Analysis (ECSC08008)

Subject

Ecological Science

College

SCE

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

2

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Course Summary

This course provides 2nd-year students with a foundation course in the collection and analysis of data relevant to biological, ecological and environmental problems. Topics dealt with in the course involve:- Recognising variability and uncertainty in environmental and ecological systems and their importance;- Gathering data suited to explain environmental and ecological systems through surveys and sampling;- Establishing and describing relationships between different environmental and/or ecological variables;- Design, analysis and interpretation of controlled experiments;- Use of dynamic simulation models.

Course Description

To understand the way that ecological and environmental systems function, we often look for associations and seek evidence of causality, or the pattern of interaction between components. We may ultimately seek to establish the nature of these relationships that we can make predictions for other systems or of future change.Reaching robust conclusions requires collection of sound data and proper statistical interpretation. The EEA course equips students with an integrated knowledge of data collection and data analysis, for use in dissertation projects and careers beyond.This course considers the formulation of research questions and four broad themes:- Survey and sampling- Relationships between variables- Design, analysis and interpretation of controlled experiments- Dynamic data and the principles of simulation modelling.The course is taught mainly on Monday mornings through Semester 2 (Weeks 1-11), starting at 10:00.Each week you will have an introductory presentation of background concepts and techniques, plus a linked practical session of up to two hours duration. In four of the weeks (3, 4, 5 and 9) you must attend a compulsory tutorial session. Your fixed group will meet either 14:10-15:00 on Monday, 10:00-10:50 on Wednesday or 15:10-16:00 on Friday. Attendance is vital to your progress with the two in-course assessments.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 60%, Coursework 40%, Practical Exam 0%

Additional Assessment Information

Coursework (40%):- Designing a survey (25%)- Experimental design (15%)Examination (60%):Two-hour examination at the end of Semester 2 based on short and long answer questionsStudents are required to pass 40% of coursework and 40% of the exam in order to attain an overall pass for the course.

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