Ecology

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Professors David Robinson and Dr Rene van der Wal

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

The course will comprise a series of interactive tutorials. Subjects to be covered will include:
· What are the current research issues in ecology?
· The use and abuse of hypotheses.
· How are new ecological ideas developed?
· How is ecological research funded?
· What ethical issues do different types of ecological research raise?
· Making the best of bad data.
· How to read, write and publish a scientific paper.
· Planning an ecological research project.
Other content will, however, be dictated to some extent by the students’ needs, which will vary from year to year. Feedback from students early in the course will guide the exact composition of later elements. This flexibility will also offer the opportunity for students to request and receive dedicated training on topics or techniques they identify in response to their experience in concurrent modules. Examples of these could include: data collection methods; statistics; taxonomy; environmental legislation. To meet this need external experts will be invited to run relevant tutorials as appropriate. In all tutorials, students will be encouraged to participate in class discussions, to assemble relevant background information and to use it to present structured arguments. This course also allows essential skills to be developed for the Project Review (ZO5501) which is an essential precursor to the Research Project itself.

Structure

Tutorials

Assessment

4,000 word Research Project Review. As well as forming the assessment for this course it will serve as a vital planning document for students' individual research projects.

Credit Points

7.5

Course Coordinator

Nick Morely

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course will provide an introduction to the current perspectives on global change using specific case studies as examples of the importance of global change. The current state of knowledge on global change and its impacts on terrestrial greenhouse gas fluxes, pollution and plant adaptations. In addition, the course will demonstrate the impact of climate change on biodiversity and how biodiversity adapts to global change. Aspects carbon mitigation projects will also be covered. The course will include aspects of global change that go beyond climate change, i.e. pollution, food security etc.

Structure

Assessment

Assessment will be in the form of a presentation on key topics associated with global change and climate change.

Credit Points

7.5

Course Coordinator

Dr. Piertney

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

The aims of the course are to expose students to key lab-based techniques currently used in ecological research, and highlight how such techniques may develop in the short and medium term futures. As such, the course will cover:
• How genetic diversity is defined and maintained
• How microevolutionary forces influence the spatio-temporal distribution of genetic diversity
• Generic and specific techniques used in the assessment of genetic diversity (PCR, gel electrophoresis, restriction fragment length polymorphism, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, single stranded conformational polymorphism, DNA sequencing, microsatellite genotyping).

Structure

Assessment

Assessment is based on two in class assignments and one report.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr Michelle Pinard

Pre-requisites

None

Co-requisites

None

Overview

In the course, students will
· examine a variety of research initiatives that fall on the interface between ecology and society (e.g. ecosystem services and restoration ecology; sustainability and resilience and the links between ecological systems and social systems);
· consider current issues and their relevance for ecologists (e.g. policies for increasing public involvement in natural resource conservation and management for ecologists, promotion of traditional knowledge);
· compare the roles of quantitative, qualitative and action research and to explain how research objectives and methods are matched to method;
· consider how ecological research findings impact on policy development; become familiar with tools used in the preparation of research proposals that have an applied, social element.

Structure

The class will meet for 12-16 hours, with sessions including lectures, discussions, presentations and task-based tutorials.

Assessment

Assessment will be based on short, written critiques of research papers (40%), a concept note (40%), and participation in discussions and tutorials (20%)

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Dr B Scott

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

Aims: Develop professional skills
The course will comprise a series of interactive tutorials. Subjects to be covered will include:
• What are the current research issues in ecology?
• The use and abuse of hypotheses.
• How are new ecological ideas developed?
• How is research funded?
• What ethical issues do different types of ecological research raise?
• Making the best of bad data.
• How to read, write and publish a scientific paper.
• Planning a research project.
Other content will, however, be dictated to some extent by the students’ needs, which will vary from year to year. Feedback from students early in the course will guide the exact composition of later elements. This flexibility will also offer the opportunity for students to request and receive dedicated training on topics or techniques they identify in response to their experience in concurrent courses. Examples of these could include: data collection methods; statistics; taxonomy; environmental legislation. In all tutorials, students will be encouraged to participate in class discussions, to assemble relevant background information and to use it to present structured arguments. This course also allows essential skills to be developed for the project review which is an essential element of your research project.

Structure

Tutorials

Assessment

4,000 word Research Project Review. As well as forming the assessment for this course it will serve as a vital planning document for students' individual research projects.

Credit Points

7.5

Course Coordinator

Dr Justin Travis

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

The course aims to teach students how to construct and implement their own models. The course introduces simulation techniques and programming in either R or C++.

The main learning outcomes are:

- Increased ability for abstraction
- Ability to develop a model
- Ability to critically evaluate a model and the results that it produces
- Programming skills
- Development of oral presentation skills.

The course will comprise three practical sessions per week, where the students will be guided through the various steps involved in designing, implementing and analysing a model. The final session of the third week will provide the students with the opportunity to present their findings to the rest of the group.

Structure

3 three-hour sessions a week. Additionally, one longer session in the final week where students each present a talk. The length of this session will be determined by the number of participants.

Assessment

Continuous assessment: group demonstration of the jointly developed model (50%); review of a modelling paper (2000 words; 50%).

Credit Points

7.5

Course Coordinator

Dr Vasilis Louca

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

Topics covered in the course will include:
- Physical and chemical characteristics of freshwater ecosystems
- Ecological processes: River continuum, Flood pulse concept, Succession
- Phytoplankton, zooplankton
- Macroinvertebrates, fish
- Food Webs
- Rivers, Lakes, Seasonal wetlands
- Human interactions and impacts: Freshwater fisheries, exotic species, water abstraction, Impoundments
- Conservation
- Restoration

Structure

3 two hour lectures and 1 full day field trip.

Assessment

100% continuous assessment: group presentation (30%); and individual report (70%).

Credit Points

7.5

Course Coordinator

Rene van der Wal

Pre-requisites

Students must be registered on the MSc/MRes Ecology and Environmental Sustainability programme.

Overview

A field course of 8 days, followed by further data analysis and writing up time:
Day 1 - travel up (half day); exploration of premises and immediate surroundings
Day 2 - Exploration of various environments on the Black Isle to hone in to (for that year and weather conditions) suitable places to set research questions; exposure to ongoing research activities in the evening
Day 3 - Setting of research questions in the field; exposure to local ecological issues as framed by professionals in policy (SNH, RSPB) in the evening
Day 4-6 - Data collection in the field; processing and exploring of data in evenings
Day 7 - Data analysis
Day 8 - Travel back.

Structure

All field work based.

Assessment

100% project report (10 pages maximum).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr Lenka Maderova

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

1) Origins of EIA; development of, and legislative background to, EIA in the US, EU, UK and worldwide
2) The EIA process and stages in this process
3) Screening and scoping criteria
4) Impact identification and evaluation techniques
5) Predicting environmental impacts: prediction methods, criteria for selecting methods, examples of prediction techniques
6) Mitigation and compensation measures, monitoring and evaluation
7) Planning process, public involvement and decision making
8) Related issues: Cumulative and Strategic Environmental Assessment
9) Case studies to encourage participative learning related to components of the EIA.

Structure

2 two hour lectures, 1 guest lecture and 1 one hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

Continuous assessment (100%).

Credit Points

Course Coordinator

Rene van der Wal

Pre-requisites

Having obtained a CAS 15 or higher for both Experimental Design & Analysis as well as Advanced Statistics.

Co-requisites

Be deemed ready to do an own research project by Christmas.

Notes

Overview

A theme will be set and all students will work on individual questions related to this, thereby promoting discussion between students. The theme this year will be the invasion of the non-native plant tree mallow on Scottish seabird islands. Students will conduct experiments aimed at revealing some of the drivers behind this invasion to collectively generate a good level of understanding of cause and effect of this rather dramatic example of a non-native plant species on island ecosystems (impacting both plants and seabirds). Students will have to develop their own projects but will be encouraged to think about studying frost tolerance, plant-plant interaction studies, paleabotanical investigations, grazing tolerance studies, local adaptation.

Structure

Teaching will largely be through individual supervision, hence the cap on numbers.

Assessment

Assessment will be an individual project report.

Credit Points

Course Coordinator

Rene van der Wal

Pre-requisites

Having achieved normally CAS 12 or higher for all thought modules.

Notes

Overview

An individual project will be selected by the student and supervised by a member of staff, or where appropriate, also by an academic outside the University of Aberdeen.

Structure

Teaching will consist of project supervision.

Assessment

Assessment will be an individual project report in the style of a research paper.

Credit Points

7.5

Course Coordinator

Dr Rene Van der Wal

Pre-requisites

Registered for the MRes Ecology and Environmental Sustainability programme.

Co-requisites

None

Overview

How to write a literature review; how to plan a project; how to write a research proposal.

Structure

There will be one 3 hour session in each of the three weeks where the class meets with the co-ordinator. The other contact time will be arranged with project supervisors within the School.

Assessment

100% continuous assessment in the form of a literature review and project plan.