BIO262 Vegetation Ecology (8)
CSU Discipline Area: Biological Sciences (BILSC)
Duration: One session
Abstract:
This subject provides a comprehensive grounding in major concepts in vegetation ecology. These concepts and principles enable ecologists, conservation biologists and reserve managers to describe, manage and conserve plant species, in natural and disturbed ecosystems. We first describe the factors that influence plant populations, then discuss plant population biology and demography. The diverse nature of species interactions is then highlighted, before information is provided on the nature of vegetation communities, and how vegetation communities are described, surveyed and classified. Short-term and long-term changes in ecosystem properties are discussed, and key concepts in ecosystem dynamics and disturbance ecology are presented. This subject provides practical experience (through a residential school or field trip) in field survey techniques, report writing, delivering spoken presentations and analysing ecological data using computer programs. The subject contains a total estimated workload of 160 hours and includes a four day residential school.
+ Subject Availability Modes and Locations
| Session 2 | |
|---|---|
| Internal | Albury-Wodonga |
| Distance * | Albury-Wodonga |
*This subject offering contains a residential school. Please view following information for further details.
Continuing students should consult the SAL for current offering details: BIO262
Where differences exist between the Handbook and the SAL, the SAL should be taken as containing the correct subject offering details.
Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:
Be able to:
- explain the major ecological concepts regarding plant population ecology and demography
- describe the major ecological concepts regarding the description and dynamics of vegetation communities, including responses to environmental disturbances
- design and undertake field vegetation surveys
- classify vegetation survey data and interpret vegetation survey reports
- describe the characteristic features of major Australian ecosystems, including their environment, structure, composition, disturbance ecology and management
- present informative and attractive spoken presentations using software such as Microsoft Powerpoint
- manipulate data in spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel
Syllabus:
The subject will cover the following topics:
- Environmental influences on plant distributions
- Introduction to population ecology and demography
- Plant life history strategies
- Species interactions and competition
- Features of major Australian ecosystems
- Designing vegetation surveys
- History of community ecology
- Vegetation communities and boundaries
- Vegetation classification and ordination
- Disturbance ecology: succession and patch dynamics
- State and transition models
- Regeneration ecology
Residential School
This subject contains a compulsory 4 day residential school.
This subject provides practical experience through a four day residential school where students learn field survey techniques, report writing, deliver spoken presentations and analyse ecological data using computer programs.
The information contained in the 2013 CSU Handbook was accurate at the date of publication: 24 April 2013. The University reserves the right to vary the information at any time without notice.