Postgraduate Zoology 2016-2017

This course will provide a background to current coastal zone management issues, and an opportunity to explore how scientific data can be used to support management at the University’s Lighthouse Field Station at Cromarty.  Key case studies will involve an exploration of the management and research requirements for Special Areas of Conservations; marine protected areas that have been established under the European Habitats Directive to protect bottlenose dolphins, harbour seals and salmon.

This course will survey fundamental aspects of the biology of different components of the marine fish community through lectures and practicals. At the individual-level, the life cycles and life history strategies of fish will be summarised. Key aspects of population-level biology, including fish migration and population structure, will be covered. Case studies for a range of key Scottish species will also be presented. The relevance of fisheries biology to fisheries management will be highlighted throughout the course

This course provides an introduction to core concepts in marine biology, ecology and ecosystem management. It provides an understanding of ecological drivers, both biological and physical, in the marine environment and an introduction to fisheries biology and management. The course offers a unique curriculum allowing you to gain both theoretical and practical experience with hands on labs, essay writing, group presentation and debating skills.  This interdisciplinary course is taught by a range of researchers both in academia and in the front line of implementation by people from Marine Scotland Science, Scottish Natural Heritage and Joint Nature Conservation Committee. 

Aquaculture now supplies approximately 50% of all marine food consumed by humans.  Farming of fish and shellfish is the fastest growing food production industry in the world and is predicted to continue grow over the next few decades, within Scotland salmon is the second largest food export.  The demand from the growing human population for high quality food and fish paralleled by the over exploitation of wild fish stocks is driving the expansion of aquaculture.  There are many issues with fish farming including disease control, feeding, controlling life histories, genetics and the environmental load.

 

The course is structured as a series of weekly themes, which each reflect areas of current research in animal ecology. The content of the course is research-based, drawing on case studies from research-active staff within the School of Biological Sciences. The topics cover a range of ecological and spatial scales: from single species’ population dynamics to community dynamics, and from local to macro-scale processes, with a focus on the application of current ecological knowledge and theory.

This course will enable students to appreciate the level of understanding of physical & biological oceanography, biodiversity, trophic interactions and individual species level life history issues that are required to implement spatially explicit, sustainable marine conservation.   Students will be able to problem-solve in small groups and integrate diverse data sources to define the reasons for specific locations and the design of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Labs will cover a range of skills from the use of oceanographic models to the analysis of varied layers of spatial data on species, habitats and communities.

The course, which includes a significant contribution from Marine Scotland’s Science’s Marine Laboratory Aberdeen, introduces students to fishing gear and fish behaviour in relation to gear, and to fishery independent survey methods to assess abundance and distribution.  Particular emphasis is given to describing the acoustic survey method.

Throughout the course students will work independently on a research topic that will have been identified prior to the start of the course. PgDip students will produce an assessment on an appropriate topic that will have been identified through discussion with the course coordinator and count towards completion of their degree. MSc students will produce a literature review on the topic of their research project and will develop a project plan that will constitute project management.

Decommissioning sciences requires students to have a competent and realistic understanding of both marine ecologic and the wider marine ecosystem. This course allows the impact of perturbations associated with offshore activities to be related to biological responses. This will be done using detailed relevant case studies and engagement with regulators.

Decommissioning sciences requires students to have a competent and realistic understanding of both marine ecologic and the wider marine ecosystem. This course allows the impact of perturbations associated with offshore activities to be related to biological responses. This will be done using detailed relevant case studies and engagement with regulators.

In recent decades, concern about environmental damage in different parts of the world has led to public pressure on governments to regulate ‘developers’ and others so as to minimise adverse environmental effects, while allowing economic activities to continue.EIA has been developed as a critical component of the approach to achieving sustainable development. It originated in the USA and has since been incorporated into the EU/UK legislative frameworks. It is therefore important to understand the nature of the EIA process and to be able to select, and use, suitable techniques.

In recent decades, concern about environmental damage in different parts of the world has led to public pressure on governments to regulate ‘developers’ and others so as to minimise adverse environmental effects, while allowing economic activities to continue.EIA has been developed as a critical component of the approach to achieving sustainable development. It originated in the USA and has since been incorporated into the EU/UK legislative frameworks. It is therefore important to understand the nature of the EIA process and to be able to select, and use, suitable techniques.

Decommissioning sciences requires students to have a competent and realistic understanding of both marine ecologic and the wider marine ecosystem. This course allows the impact of perturbations associated with offshore activities to be related to biological responses. This will be done using detailed relevant case studies and engagement with regulators.

This course features significant input from professional scientists from Marine Scotland Science (MSS), the Scottish Government’s foremost marine science research laboratory, based in Aberdeen.  Computer practical sessions, delivered by MSS scientists, introduce students to the principles and methods of modern fisheries stock analysis and assessments, which ultimately help determine how fishing quotas are set.  The course develops students’ computer programming abilities, adding to their numerate and analytical skills, which are in such high demand from employers in academia and applied science.

• Independent research project that can cover any area of ecology and/or conservation, and which may be field, computer, laboratory or greenhouse based;

• Provides a thorough training in managing all aspects of a research project from inception to delivery of a thesis in the format of an international scientific journal;

• Projects can be based anywhere in the world and are often associated with current cutting-edge research by academic staff;

• Collaboration with external organisations is encouraged to enable students to gain a greater range of experience and contacts.

This course requires planning, executing and writing-up an independent research project on a topic relevant to the remit of the programme. In consultation with their supervisor(s), students formulate a testable hypothesis, design an analytical approach suitable for testing those hypotheses, analyse the data and interpret the results. Results are presented orally in the final week of the programme.