Plant Biodiversity Field Course (P01317)

? Credit Points : 10 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : BIO-P-PBFC

A field trip is a unique opportunity for students to be confronted with totally unfamiliar plants and vegetation, providing a valuable educational and vocational experience widening opportunities for subsequent employment. The opportunity will be provided to undertake qualitative and quantitative ecological surveys and gain experience in botanical collecting. The current field course in Belize allows students to study the ecology and flora of central America and develop familiarity with important neotropical plant families and genera and with their natural habitats.

Entry Requirements

? This course is not available to visting students.

? Pre-requisites : BSc or equivalent in Biology or another approved subject Permission of the Course Organiser Vaccinations and Visa requirements for Belize

? Co-requisites : none

? Costs : £800

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Postgraduate, (School of Biological Sciences, Schedule K)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : To be arranged/Unknown

? Contact Teaching Time : 30 hour(s) per week for 2 weeks

? Additional Class Information : The field course is scheduled for two weeks in mid-March, in the week immediately following the end of Block 4 lectures.

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Training in fieldwork methods will be given appropriate for work in unfamiliar territory where a pragmatic approach needs to be taken in setting and achieving scientific objectives. This experience is common to most botanical field research.

A range of different field sites are selected to illustrate different floras and the methods of working appropriate to each (e.g. savannah vegetation and dry tropical forest).

A visit to the Belize National Botanic Garden is included in the trip.

Assessment Information

The field course will be assessed continuously throughout the trip, as well as by the examination of a field record book and the student's collections of herbarium specimens.