Postgraduate Ecology 2019-2020

Through structured time in a variety of ecosystems close to the Bettyhill Field Station in the North of Scotland, students gain an understanding of how to ask questions about ecological patterns and processes, how to sample using simple field techniques to answer these questions.

By planning and executing an independent project, students will demonstrate a critical understanding of an ecological concept and aspects of experimental design relevant to their research question.

By participating in a residential field course, students will develop their team working skills and build a working relationship with their peers in the postgraduate programme.

Through an oral presentation of their project work, students will gain experience in communicating science in a concise and structured way.

The course will develop the student’s awareness of how molecular genetic techniques, including modern ‘omics technologies, can be used to inform our understanding of aspects of ecology, evolution, population biology and conservation science. The course will describe the underlying central dogma of molecular biology that explains how genetic diversity arises and can be harnessed as molecular markers. It will then review the contribution of molecular genetics in individual, population and species level studies.

Forest ecology is a science concerned with the form and function of forest ecosystems. As a science, it recognises that forest ecosystems vary in their ecological characteristics with location, and that the forest in any particular location is continually changing – sometimes quite rapidly and sometimes very slowly.

Current theory and application of forest ecology will be covered in a series of lectures to allow you to explore the science of forest ecosystem dynamics.

Discussions during lectures will encourage inquiry and informed argument.

The main assignment based on actual forest ecosystems allows you to demonstrate individual thought and analysis.

This course looks at current theory and practice in the interface between ecology, conservation and society. We will explore diverse topics, including how ecology is changing, sustainability science, interdisciplinary approaches, citizen science, policy workshop, communicating science, conservation conflicts and data visualisation.

Sessions are composed of lectures and workshops from staff and guest speakers, and structured in-class activities, which will challenge you to consider problems and evidence from different perspectives. These will increase your capacity for self-reflection and awareness of ethical and moral issues embedded in problems often framed as ecological.

Four short discussion essays are required; you will get detailed feedback for improving your writing skills. Weekly student-led discussions allow you to develop your capacity for attentive exchange, informed argument and reasoning, and skills in facilitating discussion.

Field visits to examine river systems and forested catchments provide context and opportunities to discuss a diverse set of environmental management problems with professionals working in the field.

Practical sessions provide structured activities focused on the identification of freshwater invertebrates and applications of GIS approaches for analysing data to support catchment management planning.

You apply theoretical and practical knowledge to a case study, demonstrating your capacity to evaluate site specific data and to interpret relevant legislation and regulation.

Working individually and with a group you will write and present a management plan for a location of your choosing.

Lectures and seminars provide background information about the origins and development of EIA, and how EIAs are implemented in the UK and elsewhere. Visiting speakers and a field visit provide practitioner perspectives on the role of EIA in development decisions.

Workshop sessions focus on case studies to provide insight into issues that arise and provide an opportunity to develop transferable skills valued by employers, such as team-working, time-management, presentation and critical appraisal.

Through an EIA report you investigate a proposed development in depth to identify likely environmental effects, judge their significance, and propose how they should be assessed and mitigated.

The three-month individual Research Project can cover any area of ecology and/or conservation and is undertaken under the supervision of a member of staff who is an expert in your chosen field.  Many projects are also done in collaboration with an external organisation. The project provides opportunities for you to develop your abilities and skills, generate hypotheses and design ways of testing them and to analyse, report and discuss your findings. You will learn to take responsibility for implementing your own plans and modifying them as necessary. The project is written up in the form of a scientific paper manuscript.