Graduate School of The Environment
GSE850 Vegetation Dynamics and Management
About this Unit
Semester 2, 2009
Offered: X2 - External; Second Half-Year (compulsory on-campus sessions 15-16 August, 19-21 September)
Convenor: Dr Michelle Leishman
Prerequisites/corequisites: None
NCCW: BIOL347
Credit Points: 4
This unit provides an understanding of plant and vegetation ecology and the tools to implement sustainable vegetation management. It aims to give students an appreciation of natural vegetation and its relationship to the physical environment. The first half of the unit covers fundamentals in plant ecology and vegetation science while the second half of the unit has a more applied focus.
Topics covered include: Australian plant communities, plant diversity, vegetation distribution and structure in relation to environmental factors such as climate, soils and fire, plant population biology, vegetation dynamics, methods for describing, monitoring, sampling & mapping vegetation, human impact on vegetation, vegetation management within a landscape context, invasive plants, vegetation futures, and rehabilitation of vegetation.
In on-campus sessions we will learn to identify plants to species level using floras and internet resources. We will then use these tools in the field to undertake vegetation surveys of plant communities of the local Sydney flora. These field data will be analysed to describe plant communities and their distribution in relation to key environmental variables. We will also use rapid vegetation assessment techniques in the field and assess current best-practice restoration techniques.
While no formal prerequisites exist, students should have already developed intermediate skills in data capture, manipulation and scientific presentation/communication and will be trained in the use of the ecological analysis software PC-ORD. Much of the data manipulation and presentation will also use standard features of EXCEL such as sorting, filtering, graphing and pivotTables.
Please note that from 2009 the unit has been completely revised to cover a broader range of topics, includes compulsory on-campus sessions, and has different assessment tasks, including plant identification, oral communication and written reports.
Teaching Staff
Convenor: Dr Michelle Leishman
Office: E8A 170
Email: michelle.leishman@mq.edu.au
Dr Ross Peacock
Office: E7A729
Email: ross.peacock@mq.edu.au
Dr Belinda Medlyn
Office: E8C209
Email: bmedlyn@bio.mq.edu.au
Technical Staff: Mr Ray Duell
Office: E8A104
Email: rduell@bio.mq.edu.au
Classes
The unit has two components:
-
A distance component using web-based delivery through Blackboard. This comprises 25 1-hour lectures.
-
Two compulsory on-campus sessions. On-campus sessions are August 15-16, and September 19-21. It is compulsory to attend all on-campus sessions. On-campus sessions are held in the glasshouse laboratories (F5A400) at the top of the F5A car park, or in the field in the northern Sydney region. Computer lab practicals will be held in E8A341. Information on the location of field practicals will be available through the announcements page on the unit's web pages.
Unit web page
The unit web page can be accessed via the student portal (log in at https://learn.mq.edu.au). There you will find unit information, resource material, iLectures, announcements, discussion and email facilities. All lectures will be available as pdf and audio files for downloading through iLecture. Students are encouraged to use the discussion & email facilities for communication among staff and students. Please also check the unit webpage regularly for announcements and additional resource material.
Learning Outcomes and Graduate Capabilities Developed
The learning outcomes of this unit are that students will gain an appreciation of the diversity of global and Australian vegetation, will understand the major environmental factors that control vegetation distribution, will understand the interactions and functions of vegetation in the biosphere, and will be able to apply their knowledge of vegetation function to important applied issues such as vegetation management, conservation and restoration ecology. Students will develop graduate capabilities in the following: practical skills of identifying plant species; sampling and describing vegetation communities; analytical and integrative skills in vegetation management; problem solving in environmental issues.
Students will also develop their generic skills in oral and written communication, critical-thinking, numeracy (data analysis) and information technology (powerpoint, statistical software, database searches).
Technology Used and Required
Students will use dissecting microscopes and internet resources for plant identification. Students will use Excel and statistical software (PC-ORD) for data analysis. Students will use internet resources for sourcing information.
Teaching and Learning Strategy
This unit consists of 25 1-hour lectures throughout the semester and 5 days of practical on-campus sessions, including laboratory, field and data analysis classes.
The schedule of lectures is listed below. Some of the lectures are given by guest lecturers who are experts in their field. Guest lecturers include Dr Belinda Medlyn (Macquarie University), Dr David Keith (NSW Dept of Environment and Climate Change), Dominic Sivertsen (NSW Dept of Environment and Climate Change), Dr Ross Peacock (NSW Dept of Environment and Climate Change & Macquarie University) and Dr Bob Makinson (Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney).
| Week | Date | LEcture |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 August 5 August |
1. Overview of world vegetation 2. Australian vegetation types I |
| 2 | 10 August 12 August |
3. Australian vegetation types II 4.Terrestrial plant diversity I |
| 3 | 17 August 19 August |
5. Terrestrial plant diversity II 6. Evolution of the Australian flora |
| 4 | 24 August 26 August |
7. Ecosystem processes 8. Soil and vegetation |
| 5 | 31 August 2 September |
9. Fire and vegetation 10. Grazing and vegetation |
| 6 | 7 September 9 September |
11. Vegetation analysis 12. Adaptation to the environment I (Belinda Medlyn) |
| 7 | 14 September 16 September |
13. Plant population biology I 14. Adaptation to the environment II (Belinda Medlyn) |
| 8 | 7 October | 15. Plant population biology II |
| 9 | 12 October 14 October |
16. Vegetation dynamics 17. Classification, mapping and description of vegetation I (Dr David Keith, DECC) |
| 10 | 19 October 21 Octover |
18. Classification, mapping and descrition of vegetation II (Dr Dominic Sivertsen, DECC) 19. Human impact on vegetation |
| 11 | 26 October 28 October |
20. Invasive plants - general 21. Invasive plants - sydney |
| 12 | 2 November 4 November |
22. Vegetation Restoration 23. Vegetation Futures |
| 13 | 9 November 11 November |
24. Plant conservation (Dr Bob Makinson, Royal Botanic Gardens) 25. Wrap-up |
Required and Recommended Texts/Materials
There is no single text that covers the whole unit. Several general texts are recommended, all of which are in special reserve in the library:
- Gurevitch, J., Scheiner, S.M., & Fox, G.A. (2006). The Ecology of Plants. 2nd edition, Sinauer Press.
- Attiwill, P. & Wilson, B. (2006). Ecology. An Australian Perspective. 2nd edition, Oxford University Press.
- Van der Maarel, E (2005). Vegetation Ecology. Blackwell Publishing.
Also worthwhile is:
- Keith, D. (2004) Ocean Shores to Desert Dunes. The Native Vegetation of NSW and the ACT. Dept of Conservation, Hurstville.
Assessment Requirements
The assessment consists of:
- a practical assignment (Assignment 1) that evaluates each student’s ability to identify plant species by preparation of a herbarium collection.
- a seminar presentation that evaluates each student's ability to critically assess a piece of vegetation science literature. Students will also improve their oral communication and IT skills.
- a written report (Assignment 2) of the vegetation sampling and analysis completed in on-campus sessions, presented in the form of a scientific paper. This report will evaluate each student's ability to conduct and interpret vegetation surveys, their understanding of the relationship between vegetation and environmental factors, and their data analysis, critical-thinking and writing skills.
- a written report (Assignment 3) consisting of a vegetation management plan for the same area, addressing issues such as management objectives, past and present land uses and impacts, legislative management requirements, threatened species and endangered ecological communities, vegetation condition, monitoring and rehabilitation requirements.
Assignment 1 Preparation of 10 plant voucher specimens
(worth 10%, due 14th September)
For this assignment you are asked to prepare 10 plant specimens of different species as herbarium voucher specimens. Try to collect plant species from a broad range of families (i.e. not 10 Acacias). All plant specimens collected must be from naturalized or native populations, and may not be from garden plantings. You may prepare native or exotic plant species, but please do not collect native plant specimens from National Parks or Council areas reserved for conservation or open space unless you have a permit. Plants may be collected from the university grounds or private land (with permission from the owner!) without a permit unless they are classified as endangered species. Herbarium material for mounting your specimens will be made available in the first on-campus session.
Useful resources:
Clarke, I. & Lee, H. (1987) Name that Flower. Melbourne University Press.
Fairley, A. & Moore, P. (1989) Native Plants of the Sydney District. Kangaroo Press.
Robinson, L (1991) Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney. Kangaroo Press.
Harden, GJ.(1990, 2000) Flora of New South Wales. NSW University Press.
Beadle, NCW, Evans, OD & Carolin, RC (1982) Flora of the Sydney Region. Reed, NSW.
Seminar presentation
(worth 10%, on-campus session 15-16 August)
Choose a journal article published in the last 5 years on a plant ecology or vegetation science topic that interests you. The article should be reporting and interpreting new information, not a review article. Prepare a 10 minute talk to be delivered in the first on-campus session. Five minutes will be allocated for question time at the end of each presentation. A data projector and laptop will be available for powerpoint presentations. Please bring your presentation on a USB drive disk or on a CD. Articles may be found in journals such as Austral Ecology, Australian Journal of Botany, Ecological Management & Restoration, Journal of Ecology, Journal of Vegetation Science, Journal of Biogeography, Biological Conservation, Ecology, Ecological Monographs, Functional Ecology, Journal of Applied Ecology, Applied Vegetation Science.
Include in your talk:
- The question being addressed in the article and why it is important
- A description of the methods
- A critical analysis of the results
- An evaluation of the wider implications of the main findings
Students will be assessed on both the seminar content and presentation quality, ranked by their class mates and also evaluated on their contribution during question time (number & quality of questions asked) to each of the other student talks.
Assignment 2 Report on the vegetation communities of Dog Pound Creek Reserve
(worth 40%, due 19th October)
You are asked to submit a report on the vegetation sampling and data analysis conducted in the second on-campus session. The report should describe the vegetation communities of the site and how these relate to environmental factors. Your report should be written in the style of a scientific paper with an Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. You should also include references cited, figures & tables as appropriate. Maximum length is 5000 words.
Assignment 3 Vegetation management plan for Dog Pound Creek Reserve
(worth 40%, due 16th November)
You are asked to submit a vegetation management plan for the area assessed in Assignment 2. This report will address issues such as management objectives, past and present land uses and impacts, legislative management requirements, threatened species and endangered ecological communities, vegetation condition, monitoring and rehabilitation requirements. Maximum length is 5000 words.
Students must attend all on-campus sessions and achieve a pass grade for all assessment tasks in order to complete the unit satisfactorily.
Written feedback on all assessment tasks will be provided within 3 weeks of submission.
Please note that 5% of the marks for assignments 1, 2 & 3 will be deducted for each day late and assignments will not be accepted for marking if more than 2 weeks overdue.
How Do I Request an Extension?
If a student is unable to submit an assignment by the due date they should contact the unit convenor to discuss the situation, as early as possible.
Examination Conditions
There is no examination for this unit.
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.
All assignments will be screened with Turnitin anti-plagiarism software
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
Special Consideration Policy
The University is committed to equity and fairness in all aspects of its learning and teaching. In stating this commitment, the University recognises that there may be circumstances where a student is prevented by unavoidable disruption from performing in accordance with their ability.
The Special Consideration Policy is instituted to support students who experience serious and unavoidable disruption such that they do not reach their usual demonstrated performance level.
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
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