Undergraduate Course: Principles of Ecology (ECSC08012)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | 'Principles of Ecology' will take you through the fundamentals of ecological science from individuals to ecosystems, giving you examples from terrestrial and marine systems alongside a grounding in ecological experimental design and statistical analysis. |
| Course description |
The course is an introduction to the factors determining the distribution and patterns of abundance of organisms, and which relate plant and animal populations to their environment. It includes the physiological ecology of plants and animals, the life history strategies by which organisms adapt to their environments, trophic ecology and the ecological significance of the niche, biodiversity and co-existence. The course provides a comprehensive treatment of the subject from the first principles of ecology to a reflection of our understanding of ecology in the 21st century.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 25,
Dissertation/Project Supervision Hours 20,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 15,
Fieldwork Hours 15,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 3,
Formative Assessment Hours 2,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Revision Session Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
112 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessment weighting is 50% coursework and 50% exam. The coursework element is composed of assessments 1 and 3 and the exam element is assessment 4 in the list below. It is compulsory to submit and pass each assessment with a minimum mark of 40%. An overall aggregate mark of 40% is required.
List of Assessments:
1. Statistical thinking and analysis. This assessment covers the course contents from Module 6 and counts for 12.5% of your final mark. Assessment submission is electronic via Learn.
2. A project plan summary document. This assessment covers initial contents of Module 7. This exercise will not receive a formal mark, but the overall coursework mark will be restricted to a maximum of 50% if it is not considered adequate. Assessment submission is electronic via Learn.
3. Individual project report. This assessment covers the contents of Module 7. This assessment determines 37.5% of the final course grade. Submission via Learn.
4. Final Exam. This assessment covers the contents from Modules 1-5 and determines 50% of the final course grade.
Assessment deadlines
Statistical thinking and analysis test: Tuesday week 4, 12noon
Project plan summary document: Monday week 5, 12noon
Individual project report: Wednesday week 11, 12noon |
| Feedback |
Students will receive formative feedback from practical demonstrators and teaching staff on their hypotheses and experimental design for a six-week group field project. This will take the form of a personalised one page sheet addressing specific issues relevant to each group¿s project proposals. As projects proceed, students will receive weekly feedback from demonstrators and tutors and where necessary the teaching staff. Summative, individual feedback in the form of a grade or mark will be provided for a ¿Statistical thinking and analysis¿ test and the individual project report. Examples of feedback can be found here: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/geosciences/teaching-organisation/staff/feedback-and-marking |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | | 2:00 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the defining principles of ecology and understand the factors controlling the abundance and distribution of organisms globally.
- Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the ecological theory explaining patterns of spatial and temporal variations in species numbers in both terrestrial and marine environments.
- Understand and use introductory statistics; hypothesis testing, basic experimental design and field sampling.
- Carry out a scientific research project related to an ecological question: formulate clear, precise and potentially answerable questions, collect unbiased data and test hypotheses.
- Communicate by a written scientific research report the basis of your research findings and through this critically analyse mainstream concepts within Ecological Science.
|
Reading List
Recommended reading
The following are generally useful as sources of first reference on many topics.
Begon, M., Townsend, C. R. & Harper, J. L. (2006). Ecology (4th edn). Blackwell Science, Oxford. (The recommended text for this course)
Townsend, C.R., Begon, M. and Harper, J.L. (2014). Essentials of Ecology (2nd Edition). Wiley. (Highly recommended).
Grime, J. P., & Pierce, S. (2012). The evolutionary strategies that shape ecosystems. John Wiley & Sons.
Prach, K., & Walker, L. R. (2020). Comparative Plant Succession Among Terrestrial Biomes of the World. Cambridge University Press.
Kaiser MJ et al. (2011) Marine Ecology. Oxford University Press. (Highly recommended for overview of marine ecology & ecosystems)
Levinton (2010) Marine Biology. Oxford University Press (Good for more in-depth review of biological topics)
Molles, M. (2015). Ecology: concepts and applications. McGraw-Hill Education. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Claudia Colesie
Tel: (0131 6)50 5434
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Nicola Clark
Tel: (0131 6)50 4842
Email: |
|
|
University Homepage