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Ecology and Conservation

Module description

How do animals interact with each other and with their environment? What is the nature and status of the Earth’s biodiversity? How can we protect species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction? This module will introduce you to the breadth and scope of ecology and conservation as a discipline, providing essential training for any modern biologist. In addition to broad training in ecology and conservation, this module will also provide training in fundamental research skills early in your degree, including research methods, experimental design, statistics, scientific communication and practical field skills. As well as classroom teaching, this module will be supported by a series of lab and field practicals, providing an opportunity to put the skills learnt into practice and allow you to experience the spectacular natural habitats of Cornwall first hand.

By the end of the module, you will have gained a core understanding of the fundamental concepts in these key biological fields that will provide you with an excellent knowledge platform that will be used throughout the rest of your degree.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module aims to introduce you to the key concepts and ideas within conservation biology and ecology, drawing on cutting edge research conducted from academics within the department and elsewhere. Topics that are likely to be covered in the module include:

• global and climatic drivers of biodiversity,
• niches and limits to species ranges in marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments
• population biology and demography,
• species interactions,
• symbiotic mutualisms,
• predator-prey and host-pathogen interactions
• community stability and food webs.
• strategies for preventing biodiversity loss

Alongside the topics above, this module will also use ecological examples to provide training in fundamental research skills, including:

• the methods used when answering research questions (i.e. experimental design, data handling, data analysis, critical thinking, research ethics)
• natural history and species identification
• practical training in essential field skills (species ID, ecological census techniques, measuring diversity)
• instruction in how to communicate a scientific message clearly (scientific poster, scientific writing)

The module will also help you develop a series of transferrable skills that will be valuable throughout your degree, including critical thinking, time management, problem solving, collaboration and negotiation all of which will strengthen employability potential. It is important that you are able to translate the skills developed into successful job applications early in your degree. To facilitate this, one of the assessments for this module, will require you to apply for, and undertake, a work placement in your chosen field. Support will be provided to help you secure a placement and any students unable to secure a work placement within the timeframe will be asked to do an alternative assessment in which you reflect on your personal employability skills and check them against the requirements of real advertised jobs.
Learning will be delivered through a mixture of lectures, practical classes and online resources. Field practicals will be conducted both on campus and at sites across Cornwall.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Understand key theories in ecology and conservation biology
• 2. Describe global and climatic drivers of biodiversity
• 3. Observe and understand population biology and demography
• 4. Understand species interactions and ecological communities
• 5. Understand why and how we must act to conserve biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Describe essential facts and theory across the sub-discipline of biosciences
• 7. Identify critical questions from the literature and synthesise research-informed examples into written work, with reference to the primary literature
• 8. Identify and implement appropriate methodologies for addressing a specific research question in ecology by demonstrating evidence that you can formulate testable hypotheses, use effective sampling techniques and conduct appropriate data analysis and interpretation
• 9. Communicate your subject to a scientific audience employing appropriate scientific language
• 10. Cite and reference work in an appropriate manner, ensuring academic integrity and the avoidance of plagiarism

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 11. Develop the skills necessary for independent lifelong learning (for example working independently, time management, organisation and enterprise)
• 12. Understand and manipulate numerical data
• 13. Use knowledge sources critically
• 14. Communicate ideas, principles and theories using a variety of formats in a manner appropriate to the intended audience
• 15. Gain experience relevant to your chosen field through a work placement or internship

Syllabus plan

This module will be taught through a combination of face-to-face lectures, workshops, fieldtrips, self-directed learning and a work placement.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall mark of less than 40%) you will be required to sit a further examination that will count for 100% of the module mark and be capped at the pass mark.

If a module has one exam the deferral and 100% referral exam can be the same but for modules with two exams, the 100% referral exam will be different and consist of questions from both.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Campbell et al. (2020) Biology: A Global Approach, 12th Ed. Pearson. ISBN 9781292341705
• Ruxton & Colgrave (2016) Experimental design for the life sciences, Oxford University Press
• Whitlock, M. & Schluter, 2008. The Analysis of Biological Data. Roberts and Company Publishers

Key words search

Conservation biology, ecology, population ecology, community ecology, community structure, succession, ecosystems, nutrient cycling, biodiversity, and restoration ecology, research skills, experimental design, statistics, careers, employability, field skills, data collection