Postgraduate Course: Ecosystem Services 1: Ecosystem Dynamics and Functions (PGGE11170)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | We all depend on a vast range of services provided by ecosystems, from food and medicines to a stable climate, clean water and storm protection. This course provides an introduction to the ecosystem ecology underlying these services, in particular looking at how ecosystems are structured and function. The course has a practical ethos and involves fieldwork and analysis of real data from around the globe. It is suitable for students with a wide range of backgrounds, but you will need to quickly develop competence in managing data with Excel.
The course looks at the dynamic nature of ecosystems, which often behave as complex systems. Different ways of representing and modelling such systems are explored through practical exercises and case studies. The course provides students with the core ecosystem knowledge needed for Ecosystem Valuation and Management in semester 2. |
| Course description |
W1 Overview of Ecosystem Concepts and Global Change
W2 Ecosystems and the global carbon cycle
W3 Fieldwork practical: the structure of forests
W4 Biogeochemical Fluxes: lecture and fieldwork
W5 Nutrient cycles
W6 Biodiversity: what is it and how do we measure it?
W7 Biodiversity & ecosystem function
W8 Student presentations on ecosystem structure
W9 Ecosystems as dynamic systems
W10 Modelling human-ecological systems: an example of the global carbon cycle
W11 Overview, feedback and exam preparation
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 35 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 44,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
152 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
30 %,
Coursework
70 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
30% 3-page policy brief on key issue of ecosystem functioning
40% Ecosystem structure practical including group presentation (20%) and individual write up (20%)
30% Examination
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
1. An understanding of fundamental principles of ecosystem ecology, including how ecosystem structure relates to function, and the dynamics of ecosystems.
2. Practical knowledge of how to measure and model ecosystem structure and function, manage data, and analyse large ecological data sets.
3. Appreciation of the diversity of ecosystem functions and expressions across different time, space and biome scales, illustrated through targeted case studies.
4. Appreciation for how ecosystems respond to and feed back on, global change drivers including climate change, land use change, and biodiversity loss.
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Reading List
Reading lists will be provided for each week on Learn:
¿ Steffen, W., J. Grinevald, P. Crutzen and J. McNeill (2011). "The Anthropocene: conceptual and historical perspectives." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. 369(1938): 842-867.
¿ Curtis, A (2011). The Use and Abuse of Vegetational Concepts. Part 2 in the BBC TV documentary series All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace. Available online.
¿ Gruber N, Galloway JN (2008) An Earth-system perspective of the global nitrogen cycle. Nature 451: 293-296
¿ Hooper, D.U. et. al. (2005) Effect of Biodiversity on Ecosystem Functioning: A Consensus of Current Knowledge. Ecological Monographs, 75 (1), 2005, pp 3 - 35.
¿ Post, ERO et al (1999). Ecosystem consequences of wolf behavioural response to climate. Nature 401(6756): 905-907.
¿ Biggs, R., Carpenter, S.R., Brock, W.A. (2009) Turning back from the brink: Detecting an impending regime shift in time to avert it. PNAS vol 106, no.3, 826-831.
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Additional Information
| Course URL |
http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/homes/cryan/eco_services/ |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Ecological field work, data collection and management, data analysis using Excel, systems thinking and modelling. Summarising complex scientific issues for non-scientific audiences. Group work and presentations. |
| Keywords | Ecosystem functions, ecosystem dynamics, biogeochemical cycles, productivity, biodiversity, climate |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Casey Ryan
Tel: (0131 6)50 7722
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Olivia Eadie
Tel: (0131 6)51 4657
Email: |
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