This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.

Undergraduate Handbook 2024-2025 (archived)

Module BIOL2461: ECOLOGY

Department: Biosciences

BIOL2461: ECOLOGY

Type	Level	Credits	Availability	Module Cap	Location
Open	2	20	Available in 2024/2025		Durham

Pre-requisites

Level 1 Organisms and Environment BIOL1161.

Corequisites

â€¢ At least one other level 2 Biological Sciences module.

Excluded Combinations

None.

Aims

To study the interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms.
To develop concepts of evolutionary history for understanding distributions and abundance of organisms.

Content

Ecological niches and life-history attributes.
Models of population dynamics.
Population estimation techniques.
Community ecology and biodiversity.
Metapopulations and biogeography.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge

Knowledge of how the life histories of organisms and their ecological niches are inter-related.
Knowledge of the theoretical bases for models of population dynamics.
Knowledge of how theories of population dynamics are extended to incorporate species interactions, and thus biodiversity.

Subject-specific Skills

To be able to relate theoretical concepts in ecology to an applied context, for example population harvesting and conservation biology.
To be able to apply problem-solving skills to quantitative problems in data collection and data analysis, population estimation and ecological modelling at an intermediate level.

Key Skills

Numeracy, in data analysis, and calculations involved in data handling problems.
IT skills, in use of statistics software packages.
Communication skills and graphics.
Team work.
Self-motivation, in self-guided learning.

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

Lectures deliver subject-specific knowledge.
Workshops reinforce subject-specific knowledge and understanding gained from lectures and the development of key and subject-specific skills.
Practical Exercises allow students to utilise subject-specific knowledge gained from lectures, and support the development of key and subject-specific skills.
Tutorials give enhancement of the student learning experience, supporting attainment of all learning outcomes.
Self-guided learning contributes to subject-specific knowledge and self-motivation.
Analytical exercise (data handling and interpretation) demonstrates subject-specific skills in data handling and key skills in data analysis and interpretation applied to Ecology.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total Hours	Attendance Monitored
Lectures	24	Block	Block	24
Practical Exercises	3	Block	Block	6	Yes
Workshops	6	3 per term	1-2 hours	8	Yes
Tutorials	2	1 per term	1 hour	2	Yes
Preparation & Reading				160
Total				200

Summative Assessment

Component	Component Weighting	Element	Length/Duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Continuous Assessment	100%	Practical skills and data analysis		50%	Yes
Continuous Assessment	100%	Oral presentation		50%	Yes

Formative Assessment

Formative assessments will be provided to develop the skills for each summative assessment as appropriate.

Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.