GSE850 Vegetation Dynamics and Management
About this Unit
Semester 1, 2008
Offered: X1 - External/Online study; First Half-Year
Convenor: TBA
Prerequisites/corequisites: None
Credit Points: 4
This unit focuses on the dynamics of vegetation communities. Students will gain an understanding of the various factors that can affect vegetation communities including fire, climatic and human influences. The unit will use real-world examples of management options for vegetation with consideration of community dynamics. Students will undertake an investigation of local examples of vegetation dynamics.
Teaching Staff
Convenor: Roger Lembit
Office: E7A 729
Email: rlembit@els.mq.edu.au
Classes
The unit is delivered online through Blackboard with supporting readings provided.
Unit web page
Login to the unit through Blackboard (http://learn.mq.edu.au/)
Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to enable students to:
- Develop a knowledge of the forces shaping the distribution of vegetation across the landscape in an Australian context
- Gain an understanding of the principles in the management of vegetation at a landscape scale
- Understand the application of vegetation management within the Australian climatic, social, cultural and economic environments
- Understand the various options available to manage and manipulate vegetation populations to meet a stated management goal.
Generic skills
- Understand the principles of vegetation management
- Recognise and understand the application of key management options
- Be able to apply management options at a landscape scale with consideration to all land tenures
- Be able to critically review management plans and identify key goals and actions.
Teaching and Learning Strategy
This unit is designed to give students an understanding of the principles in the management of vegetation, the application of vegetation management within the Australian climatic, social, cultural and economic environments and the various options available to manage and manipulate vegetation populations to meet a stated management goal.
Topics covered include:
- What do we mean by vegetation?
- The place of plants in ecosystems
- Vegetation management - An Australian context
- Views of vegetation communities
- Weeds and management
- To be or not to be threatened
- Reserves and wildlife management
- Management outside reserves
- Harvesting of vegetation
- Rehabilitation/restoration of plant communities.
Required and Recommended Texts/Materials
Set Text
Attiwill P & Wilson B (2003) Ecology: An Australian Perspective. Oxford University Press, South Melbourne.
Relationship between Assessment and Learning Outcomes
Assessment in this unit will be based around a study of a vegetated area. The report, produced in parts, will include a classification of the main vegetation communities in the area; a history of the area, including past uses, fire, etc; any species, plant or animal, of significance or interest; plans for the management &/or rehabilitation of the area.
| Assignment | Description | Marks | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report Part 1 | Description of study area | 10% | End of Week 3 |
| Report Part 2 | Vegetation Description & Disturbance analysis | 15% | End of Week 6 |
| Report Part 3 | Significance analysis and consideration of management pressures | 15% | End of Week 10 |
| Report Part 4 | Completed and collated report. Management pressure response, monitoring proposals and future trend analysis (including any revisions of parts 1, 2 & 3) | 50% |
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.
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Fax: (02) 9850 6063
TTY: (02) 9850 6493
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