Undergraduate Ecology 2020-2021

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 the lectures will encourage inquiry and informed argument. Assignments reflect tasks similar to those encountered in environmental consultancy and provide you with transferrable, employability skills. 

The field course is non-residential and involves day trips from Aberdeen to local sites. You will learn about and practice a range of methodologies, approaches and techniques used by ecological consultants and people working for conservation organisations to determine the presence/absence of various animal species, estimates of population size and mapping vegetation. Techniques will include: Phase 1 Habitat Survey (plants), creating a habitat map using GIS, bird identification and census techniques, freshwater invertebrate sampling, surveys of mammal populations (e.g. bats, badgers, otters, red squirrels) and camera trapping. 
 

Please note that the information provided is subject to change due to the ongoing Covid-19 government guidelines

This course will run from 24 May - 4 June in 2021