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  6. PL5001: Plant Ecology

PL5001: PLANT ECOLOGY (2015-2016)

Last modified: 25 Mar 2016 11:37


Course Overview

 Integrated lectures, field trips, data exercises and discussions provide a broad overview of theoretical plant ecology and its practical applications. You will participate in data collection in sand dune, heathland and woodland habitats and become familiar with a range of plant species. Key skills in vegetation survey, monitoring and research are taught. Class field data are used as the basis for understanding ecological processes and for learning vegetation analysis methods. You will practice writing skills in a data report and essay, supported by “clinics” and by individual help to students. Detailed feedback will help your writing in subsequent courses.

Course Details

Study Type Postgraduate Level 5
Session First Sub Session Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus None. Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Sarah Woodin

Qualification Prerequisites

None.

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • One of MRes Ecology & Environmental Sustainability (Studied) or MRes Applied Marine and Fisheries Ecology (Studied) or MRes Environmental Science (Studied) or MRes Soil Science (Studied) or MSc Ecology & Environmental Sustainability (Studied) or MSc Applied Marine and Fisheries Ecology (Studied) or MSc Forestry (Taught) (Studied) or MSc Soil Science (Studied) or MSc Environmental Science (Studied) or MSci Biological Sciences (Studied)
  • Either Any Postgraduate Programme (Studied) or BI4015 Grant Proposal (Passed)
  • Either Any Postgraduate Programme (Studied) or MSci Biological Sciences (Studied)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

This course provides a broad overview of plant ecology, considers the development of ecological theories and explores the applications of those theories for practicing ecologists today. Integrated field trips, data handling exercises, lectures and directed reading and discussions are used to cover the following topics: Community ecology – the nature of communities, succession, resource competition, community assembly; Description of communities – National Vegetation Classification, surveying, monitoring; Community analysis – descriptive statistics, ordination and its practical application in vegetation analysis; Modelling community change – descriptive and predictive models. The practical objectives of the course are to enable students to look at vegetation and ask pertinent questions about why it is like it is, to begin to interpret what they observe, to collect data to provide further answers, to use statistics and ordination methods in analysing such data, to set up vegetation research, survey and monitoring, and to write data reports and literature based essays.

Associated Costs

None

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 31 August 2023 for 1st half-session courses and 22 December 2023 for 2nd half-session courses.

Summative Assessments

Continuous assessment (100%) based on an essay (60%) and a data report (40%).

Formative Assessment

Discussion of work with lecturer at essay and report clinics and feedback on essay plan from lecturer.

Feedback

Extensive written comments on essay plan, essay and data report.

Course Learning Outcomes

None.
 

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