Postgraduate Course: Tropical Biodiversity Field Course (PGBI11046)

Course Outline
School	School of Biological Sciences	College	College of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	10	ECTS Credits	5
Summary	The course aims to equip students with broad skills to plan and execute botanical field work confidently in any area. A core aim is to teach students the process of identifying plants in the field using sterile characters alone, which is often the case when dealing with real-life surveys. In addition students will also gain experience in conducting qualitative and quantitative ecological methods. The research skills are built up each day using a series of exercises. Each exercise brings in new techniques built around a diversity of plant and fungal groups, reinforcing the concepts learnt on previous days. Each morning is spent in the field learning practical skills of monitoring and surveying, whilst afternoons are used for working on plant identification, data recording, and analysis. Formal teaching is done in the evenings through lectures and seminars to integrate the skills and experience obtained during the entire day.
Course description	The field couse will last for 7 days including travel time. Students attending in-person will study biodiversity in the coastal temperate rain forest of western Scotland. An online experience will be provided to students taking the course remotely. By the end of the course you will be able to: - Recognise the characteristics of plant and fungal species, understand the processes involved in field identification and identify plant and fungal specimens in the field. - Understand the theoretical basis of different qualitative and quantitative habitat survey techniques, and be able to use them effectively to describe biodiversity in the field. - Appreciate and apply ethical considerations in surveying and collecting work.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2021/22, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Block 3 (Sem 2)
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 80, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 18 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 60 %, Practical Exam 40 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	Practical exam (class test) 40% Written report (60%)
Feedback	Not entered
No Exam Information

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: Be able to recognise the characteristics of major plant families and genera, understand the processes involved in field identification and identify plant specimens to at least family level in the field. Understand the theoretical basis of different qualitative and quantitative habitat survey techniques, and be able to use them effectively to describe biodiversity in the field. Be able to collect and preserve herbarium-standard specimens. Appreciate and apply ethical considerations in surveying and collecting work.