- Course Code
- PL 3303
- Credit Points
- 15
- Course Coordinator
- Professor D Robinson
Pre-requisites
BI 25P1 or BI 2001. Other students may be admitted to the course at the discretion of the Head of School.
Overview
Primary production (The carbon cycle; Biomes; Seasonality; Scaling from leaf to biome); Water use (The hydrological cycle; Coupling between vegetation and atmosphere; Water in soil; Water use efficiency); Soil microbiology & Organic Matter decomposition (Decomposer organisms; Soil respiration; Decomposition kinetics; Root-microbe relations). Nutrient acquisition by plants (Nutrient demand; Nutrients in soil; Nutrient supply; Soil heterogeneity; Nutrient use efficiency). Secondary production (Effects of grazing on nutrient cycling; Energy and resource flow between trophic levels). Ecosystem sustainability, human impacts and feedback effects. Ecosystem research methods.
Structure
6 week course, Thread I – 16 one-hour lectures, 1 three-hour practical class, 7 three-hour laboratory practical classes.
To pass this course a pass must be achieved in BOTH the theory exam and the in-course assessment.
Assessment
1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and in-course assessment (33%).
Resit: 1 two-hour examination.