GSE804 Ecological Processes
About this Unit
Semester 1, 2008
Offered: E1 - Evening; First Half-Year
Convenor: Dr Julian O'Grady
Prerequisite: GSE803 OR Permission of Head of Department (Permission will be granted if the student has a science based degree)
Credit points: 4
Principles, applications and implications of ecological knowledge are explored in this unit which covers the science of ecology and current concepts about how natural systems are organised. Global and Australian examples are used. The central theme is how processes operating in nature produce patterns in ecosystems, and that these processes both facilitate and constrain the interactions between humankind and the planet.
Unit Objectives
- To gain an understanding of the breadth and depth of ecology
- To appreciate the complexity of natural systems
- Look at how an understanding of the processes underlying natural systems is necessary when attempting to find solutions to environmental problems
Teaching Staff
Convenor: Dr Julian O'Grady
Additional Lecturer: A/Prof. David Eldridge, University of New South Wales
Classes
Contact hours: 3 per week
PLEASE NOTE: In order to successfully complete this unit, students must attend at least 80% of scheduled lectures.
The timetable for classes can be found on the University web site at http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/
Unit web page
There is no web page for this unit.
Learning Outcomes
Teaching and Learning Strategy
About eight lectures will focus on different ecological processes and the remainder will focus on selected areas of the application of ecology to particular environmental problems. Each class will usually include a 1 to 1½ hour lecture, a break followed by a 1 to 1½ hour discussion session or exercises at the computer lab. You will need to read articles and prepare for the discussion sessions during the week before the class. Opportunity for involvement in ecological research will also be provided. A list of projects and contact details will be made available at the beginning of this unit. Involvement in these research projects is recommended but not compulsory.
Schedule of Lectures
Every effort will be made to adhere to this pre-arranged program; however, altered commitments may necessitate some changes. Students will be given as much warning as possible of any such circumstances. Dr Julian O'Grady will be teaching in the first half of semester until the 9th of April and Dr David Eldridge between the 30th of April and the 4th of June.
| Week | Topic | Processes or concepts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 February 27 |
Introduction. What is ecology? | Types of ecology, concepts, processes |
| 2 March 5 |
Distributions | Growth, reproduction, strategies |
| 3 March 12 |
Nutrient cycling & energy flows | Food webs and trophic levels |
| 4 March 19 |
Populations | Dispersal, colonisation, recruitment |
| 5 March 26 |
Species interactions | Predation, competition, parasitism, mutualism |
| 6 April 2 |
Community structure | Disturbance, succession Short paper due 9am at the ELS Centre |
| 7 April 9 |
Catastrophes | Ecosytem disruption and species loss |
| MID SEMESTER BREAK | ||
| 8 April 30 |
Biological invasions | Mechanaisms, responses, measuring impacts |
| 9 May 7 |
Nature conservation | Priorities, selection of reserves |
| 10 May 14 |
Rangeland ecology | Cycles, stresses |
| 11 May 21 |
Restoration ecology | Degrees of rehabilitation, naturalness |
| 12 May 28 |
Soil ecology | Disturbance, cover, succession Essay due 9am at the ELS Centre |
| 13 June 4 |
Landscape function and ecosystem health | Assessment, monitoring, indicators |
Relationship between Assessment and Learning Outcomes
PLEASE NOTE: In order to successfully complete any GSE unit students must:
- attend at least 80% of scheduled lectures;
- attend and participate in all days of all scheduled field trips;
- complete all assignments or other assessment;
- reach a satisfactory postgraduate level of achievement in such assignments or other assessment as may be determined by the Head of the Graduate School.
There is no formal examination for this unit. There are four components to the assessment. All are compulsory. The marks for each component and the latest due dates are:
| Assessment | Max. Length | Marks | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation & discussion or Poster session | 15 min | 25% | Class period of week assigned |
| Exercises at the Computer Lab | 10% | At the end of the class | |
| Short Paper | 2000 words | 25% | April 2 |
| Essay/Report | 2500 words | 40% | May 28 |
Discussion sessions
The purpose of these sessions is to get you thinking about, discussing and extending the ideas and topics covered in the lectures. Each session will involve 2 to 3 students presenting a short talk (strictly 15 min each) on a question related to the lecture topic. These questions will be given out one week (or more) before the presentation/discussion is due. The presenters will lead a discussion on the topic by presenting at least five areas arising from their talks for discussion (you will have to collaborate to prepare this list). Your presentation, including leading the discussion, will be assessed. All students are expected to attend and actively participate in all discussions and to have read appropriate material beforehand.
Depending upon enrolment, poster sessions may be presented as an alternative to discussions.
Exercises at the computer lab
You will be introduced to important topics that are relevant to environmental studies using RAMAS EcoLab. This ecological software has a series of exercises that use data from studies of endangered and threatened species, allowing you to explore the technology used by professionals in the field to tackle management and conservation issues.
Short paper
You have a choice of three topics for this paper.
EITHER
A new and potentially lucrative trawl fishery has been mooted for South Australian waters near Port Lincoln. Early research trawls caught abundant levels of squid, but at the same time, in 0.5% of trawls Australian sea lions Neophocena cinerea were incidentally caught. Given that under legislation the sea lion is a protected species
- How would you determine the impact of this bycatch on the sea lion population?
- What measures would need to be implemented to mitigate the impact if it did threaten the population?
- What are the implications for the management of the fishery?
Hint: not all parameters are given in the question, but would be available to a fisheries scientist. You will need to determine realistic projections for both the fishery and the sea lions.
OR
Conservation biologists generally agree that landscape connectivity enhances population viability and that until fairly recently most species lived in well-connected landscapes. Because human activities such as urbanisation often sever natural connections, habitat corridors have been suggested as a means of retaining some connectivity between pockets of appropriate habitat. Corridors are frequently cited as of value both for reserve design and allocation and in particular in the urban bush context. However, there is a considerable argument as to whether corridors do indeed enhance population viability. Review the evidence for and against corridors and then discuss how you would empirically test this proposition for three endangered species of Australian flora and/or fauna.
OR
Australia has numerous plants and animals which are considered pests. Most of them were introduced after European settlement, either deliberately or by accident, including some brought in to assist with the control of other nuisance species. Choose one plant and one animal pest and discuss the following:
- How and why the species were introduced
- What factors contributed to their successful establishment
- What were the environmental and economic impacts of the introduction
- Discuss pros and cons of the methods used to control these species
Essay/Report
Choose an environmental topic from the list below (or suggest a suitable alternative but discuss with the unit convenor before proceeding with it) and write an examination of how the theoretical side of ecology relates to the practice of tackling that problem or issue. Your essay should not exceed 2500 words in length. This will allow you to examine at least one ecological topic in depth. Remember to explicitly link principles to applications. Also, be sure to set out the problem and your approach in the introduction of your essay.
Suggested topics
- Effects of a particular type of pollution on natural assemblages.
- Conservation biology, especially with regard to the role of interactions between species.
- Stock-recruitment relationships and harvesting in fisheries.
- Introduction of exotic species across natural barriers of oceans and landmasses.
- Habitat fragmentation and landscape ecology.
- Ecosystem rehabilitation and reconstruction.
- Ecological effects of the release of genetically engineered organisms.
- Biological control of pests.
- Strategies of biological monitoring.
Guidelines for written work
Please follow the GSE Writing Guide. Also, carefully note the following guidelines for GSE 804:
| Subject | Guidelines for GSE 804 |
|---|---|
| References | All sources of material must be cited in text of essay. Use the Harvard system, e.g. (Jones and Godsend 1992), to do this. Use et al. (= et alia, ?and others?) for 3 or more authors, e.g. Jones et al. (1993). Note the italics (or underlining) and the full stop. Do not use numbering, e.g. ?, for citations. |
| Foot / end notes | Do not use footnotes or end notes. |
| Printed assignments | Printing may be on both sides of page, but must be readable. Use line spacing of 1.5 or 2 (double). Leave adequate margins for comments (at least 2.5 cm). |
| Sections, headings and subheadings | Be sure to use headings and subheadings in essays. Please use the following structure: Title page: include title, essay question, your name; |
| Tables and figures | All tables and figures must be relevant, must have captions and must be referred to in the text, e.g. (Fig. 1). |
| Scientific names | Should be italicised (or underlined). Also, generic (genus) names begin with a capital letter, e.g. Megaptera, whereas specific (species) names do not, e.g. novaeangliae. Overall, Megaptera novaeangliae (humpback whale). |
Assignment Submission
All assignments must be submitted to the appropriate assignment box for your unit. Assignment boxes are located in the reception area of the ELS Centre (Room 101), which is on the ground floor at the western end of building E7A.
The Centre opens from 8.30am to 5.30pm on Monday to Friday. There is also an after-hours assignment submission box at the door of E7A which faces the central university walkway. You can access a campus map to assist in locating the building.
All assignments are to be submitted by 9.00am on the date specified and must include a completed and signed coversheet stapled to the front cover. You can download an Assignment Cover Sheet. Please note that ELS Centre staff have requested that assignments are NOT placed in folders or plastic covers.
Recommended Texts/Materials
There is no set text for this unit. The following lists some useful references.
General Ecology Books
Attiwill, P. & B. Wilson, Ecology: an Australian perspective. Oxford University Press, New York. 648 pp.
Begon, M., J.L. Harper & C.R. Townsend 1996. Ecology: individuals, populations and communities. 3rd ed., Blackwell, Oxford. 945 pp.
Begon, M., M. Mortimer & D.J. Thompson. 1996. Population ecology: a unified study of animals and plants. 3rd ed., Blackwell, Oxford.
Burgman, M. and Lindenmayer, D. (1998): Conservation Biology for the Australian Environment. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Sydney
Ehrlich, P.R. & J. Roughgarden 1987. The science of ecology. MacMillan, New York. 710 pp.
Krebs, C.J. 1994. Ecology: the experimental analysis of distribution and abundance. 4th ed., Harper, New York. 800 pp.
Magurran, A. E. 2004. Measuring Biological Diversity. 1st ed. Blackwell Science, Massachusetts
Townsend, C. R., J. Harper, & M. Begon (2000) Essentials of Ecology, 1st ed. Blackwell Science, Massachusetts
There are many other books on ecology in the Library.
Jounals
Ambio QH540.A5
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems QH541.5.W3.A67
Australian Journal of Ecology QH540.A85
Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research GC1.A85
Biological Conservation S900.B5
Cunninghamia QK445.C8
Current Advances in Ecological and Environmental Sciences QH540.C87
Ecological Monographs QH540.E28
Ecological Applications QH540.E263
Ecology QH540.E3
Environmental Conservation S900.E5
Environmental Research RA565.A1.E85
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science QH541.5.E8.E83
Forest Ecology and Management SD1.F57
Journal of Animal Ecology QL750.J65
Journal of Ecology H540.J68
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology QH91.J6
Journal of Vegetation Science QK900.J68
Marine Ecology Progress Series QH541.5.S3.M26
Ocean and Coastal Management GC1000.O25
Oecologia QH540.O3
Oikos QH540.O35
Researches on Population Ecology QL750.R42
Science of the Total Environment QH540.S36
Trends in Ecology and Evolution QH540.T73
Vegetation QK901.V3
There are also other journals in the library that are useful for specific areas.
Plagiarism
The University defines plagiarism in its rules: "Plagiarism involves using the work of another person and presenting it as one's own." Plagiarism is a serious breach of the University's rules and carries significant penalties. You must read the University's practices and procedures on plagiarism. These can be found in the Handbook of Postgraduate Studies or on the web at: http://www.student.mq.edu.au/plagiarism/
The policies and procedures explain what plagiarism is, how to avoid it, the procedures that will be taken in cases of suspected plagiarism, and the penalties if you are found guilty. Penalties may include a deduction of marks, failure in the unit, and/or referral to the University Discipline Committee.
The GSE recommends that students familiarise themselves with the information contained on the Georgetown University Honor Council website which discusses plagiarism in an easy to understand and comprehensive manner.
University Policy on Grading
Academic Senate has a set of guidelines on the distribution of grades across the range from fail to high distinction. Your final result will include one of these grades plus a standardised numerical grade (SNG).
On occasion your raw mark for a unit (i.e., the total of your marks for each assessment item) may not be the same as the SNG which you receive. Under the Senate guidelines, results may be scaled to ensure that there is a degree of comparability across the university, so that units with the same past performances of their students should achieve similar results.
It is important that you realise that the policy does not require that a minimum number of students are to be failed in any unit. In fact it does something like the opposite, in requiring examiners to explain their actions if more than 20% of students fail in a unit.
The process of scaling does not change the order of marks among students. A student who receives a higher raw mark than another will also receive a higher final scaled mark.
For an explanation of the policy see:
http://senate.mq.edu.au/rules/Guidelines2003.doc or
http://senate.mq.edu.au/rules/detailedguidelines.doc
Student Support Services
Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can be accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au.
Advice for Students with Disabilities/Health Conditions
The Equity Support Unit (ESU) provides support and assistance to students with a disability/health condition in aiming to ensure that they do not experience disadvantage in reaching their academic potential. Service provision is determined on a case-by-case basis following an assessment of a student's needs and the provision of supporting documentation. Service provision is also dependent on the availability of resources.
To register with ESU, download an Advice of Disability/Health Condition form from http://www.reg.mq.edu.au/academic-index.html. This form must be completed annually, irrespective of whether a disability/health condition is temporary, long-term or permanent. Students wishing to request support services from the ESU should make an appointment to see a Disability Advisor immediately after enrolling at Macquarie University.
Phone: (02) 9850 6494/7497
Fax: (02) 9850 6063
TTY: (02) 9850 6493
Email: equity@mq.edu.au
In person: Level 2, Lincoln Building (C8A), Macquarie University
Website: http://www.sss.mq.edu.au/equity