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Semester 2

Biology 1D: Environment (BILG08023)

Subject

Biology

College

SCE

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

1

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Course Summary

This course takes an ecological approach, emphasising interactions between different organisms and all aspects of their environment. All environments are now changing under the influence of human activities and many species are under threat as a consequence. In this course we aim to equip students with the knowledge and tools to begin to scientifically address such issues themselves.

Course Description

Students will work in teams, learning how to frame an ecological research question, generate testable hypotheses to address the question and devise methods to test the predictions of the hypotheses. In the lab, students will experiment with a simplified aquatic ecosystem to investigate some of the fundamental mechanisms in ecology that govern population growth, community dynamics and the carbon cycle. Student teams will then choose a project topic to investigate, reporting their results orally and as a written report. Workshops and practicals will help develop skills. A programme of lectures will deal with the following five major questions, across different levels of biological organisation:- Why are species found where they are? (Distribution) - Why are big fierce animals rare on a green planet? (Abundance) - How do communities change? (Communities) - What happens when the forests go? (Ecosystems) - How do we save the world? (Global ecology)

Assessment Information

Written Exam 25%, Coursework 65%, Practical Exam 10%

Additional Assessment Information

Written exam: 25%Quizzes: 15%Practical report: 10%Project paper: 25%Portfolio: 25% (pass/fail)To pass the course, students must:- pass the exam at 40%- pass the portfolio (pass/fail)- pass the ICA (project, practical and quizzes) at 40%- obtain a course mark of at least 40% overall

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