Undergraduate Course: Ecological and Environmental Science field course (including management) (ECSC10033)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The field course builds upon the skills and competences acquired by Ecological and Environmental Sciences students during previous field courses and lecture classes. The core element of the two components of the field course are the acquisition of skills in designing and conducting field sampling and monitoring projects; the acquisition of skills using field equipment. |
| Course description |
Dates for 2015/16: 5th-11th September in Oban; 14th-16th September in Edinburgh
Example 2014 Itinerary
Saturday
0900 Arrive at Crew Building for loading
1000 Leave from Crew Building for Ormsary
1200 Arrive Loch Lomond Country Park
1300 Talk from the ranger
1600 Arrive at the Ormsary Estate
2000 Overview talk of the Knapdale area: ecology, impacts and issues
Sunday
0900 Discussion of projects. Assembling equipment and visiting the field sites
1600 Presentation of plans for group projects
2000 Intro lecture to renewable resources
Monday
0900 Depart for wind farm
1000 Wind farm talk, site visit
1200 Packed lunch on site
1400 Group projects
2000 Free evening
Tuesday
0900 Group projects ALL DAY
2000 Introductory talk on marine sampling (SAMS)
Wednesday
0900 Meet at chalets for marine sampling prep
1000 Marine sampling/loch edge (SAMS)
1230 Packed lunch on site
1330 Group projects
1700 Free evening
Thursday
0900 Depart for Taynish NNR
1000 Arrive Taynish NNR (SNH)
1200 Packed lunch on site
1400 Group projects
Project titles offered during the residential week:
1. Diversity and distribution of oak galls in relation to leaf shading and leaf size
2. Fungal biodiversity in native and plantation woodlands in relation to habitat
3. Spatial and temporal assessment of browsing damage by deer
4. Seed predation on Juncus by Coleophora alticolella
5. Assessment of differences in productivity across habitats
6. Effects of light availability and substrate type on forest natural regeneration
7. Effects of habitat type on bat activity
8. Comparison of small mammal activity in plantations and semi natural
woodlands
9. Effects of water stress on leaf optical properties of plants of different
functional groups (bryophytes, ferns, mosses)
10. Detecting water stress using spectral measurements
11. Investigation of diagenetic alteration of saltmarsh organic matter
12. Characteristics of forest and grassland organic matter
13. Relationship between phosporus, iron and organic matter in organic-rich soils
14. Microclimate variability: investigation of small animal habitats
15. Spatial variation of irradiance on hill slopes
16. Wind power for rural communities
To gain competence in ecological and environmental field techniques and to apply these skills in field investigations, and through field visits with practitioners to gain an appreciation of the contexts and challenges of ecological and environmental management.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | £140 |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 6,
Dissertation/Project Supervision Hours 6,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 12,
Fieldwork Hours 32,
External Visit Hours 14,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 5,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
120 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Poster Conference: 20%, Field Project write-up: 40%, Essay: 40% |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- To gain a comprehensive knowledge of the principles and some of the specialised skills of enquiry employed in ecological field work.
- To gain competence in the use of ecological and environmental field techniques and to apply these skills in field investigations.
- To execute a defined project of research and identify the relevant outcomes by appropriate statistical data analysis and interpretation. This will enable students to plan and practise in a context similar to those found at a professional level, which includes an element of unpredictability.
- An ability to communicate with professional level peers and senior colleagues and specialists will be developed through the peer-to-peer presentations and field visits with practitioners which will also enable students to gain an appreciation of the contexts and challenges associated with ecological and environmental management.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Field techniques,ecology and environment,populations,biodiversity,trace gases,micrometeorology |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Caroline Nichol
Tel: (0131 6)50 7729
Email: Jackie.Allan@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Matthew Hathaway
Tel: (0131 6)51 7274
Email: |
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