Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2006-2007 (archived)

Module BIOL2281: PURE AND APPLIED POPULATION ECOLOGY

Department: BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

BIOL2281: PURE AND APPLIED POPULATION ECOLOGY

Type	Open	Level	2	Credits	20	Availability	Available in 2006/07	Module Cap	None.	Location	Durham

Prerequisites

Introduction to Whole Organisms and the Environment (BIOL1082).

Corequisites

None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

None.

Aims

To introduce students to the methods of study of populations and population change, their causes and their relevance to sustainable exploitation of biological resources.

Content

Population growth and Dynamics.
Methods of measurement of population parameters, e.g. capture/recapture techniques.
Life-tables.
Density-related effects on population growth and stability.
Modelling populations, competition and predation.
Symbiosis.
pollination and seed dispersal.
Host-parasite interactions.
Parasite Ecology.
An Introduction to Parasitism.
Host-Parasite Interactions: Tropical Forest Resources.
Fish resources & fisheries.
Crop plant domestication and exploitation in relation to human population growth.
Traditional vs biotechnological methods of crop improvement: ethical issues, intellectual property right and environmental considerations.
Underexploited plant resources.
International agricultural: FAO, the CGIAR institutes, etc.
The collection, conservation and exploitation of crop plant genetic resources.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

By the end of the module, the student should: Understand the different approaches to estimation of population density, and their limitations.
Understand the roles of density-dependent and density-independent factors in affecting population density in different parts of a species' range.
Appreciate the relevance of interactions with other species (predation, competition, parasitism, mutualism) to the population dynamics of a focal species.

Subject-specific Skills:

Be able to construct life-tables for selected plant and animal species.
Use simple models of population processes.
Be able to evaluate the potential contribution of population studies to sustainable exploitation of natural resources and development of agricultural systems and fish husbandry.

Key Skills:

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

Teaching will be offered through lectures, to impart structured information, through demonstration practicals and field practicals, to train appropriate skills and reinforce lecture content, and through tutorials and discussions, to develop critical approaches.
Assessment of knowledge and understanding will be achieved through written examinations and data interpretation, relating to methods and case-studies of population processes.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total/Hours
Lectures	35	2 per week	1 hour	35
Tutorials	1		1 hour	1
Practicals	8	1 per term	1 hour	8
Preparation and Reading				156
Total				200

Summative Assessment

Component: Final Examination		Component Weighting: 60%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
two question, unseen written formal examination	2 hour	100%
Component: Coursework		Component Weighting: 40%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
essay		50%
data interpretation exercise		50%

Formative Assessment:

Oral presentation to assess ability to retrieve, organise, synthesise and present information.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University