Module Specification
The information contained in this module specification was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change, either during the session because of unforeseen circumstances, or following review of the module at the end of the session. Queries about the module should be directed to the member of staff with responsibility for the module.
Title ECOLOGY AND THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
Code LIFE120
Coordinator Dr D Atkinson
Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour
Davida@liverpool.ac.uk
Year CATS Level Semester CATS Value
Session 2016-17 Level 4 FHEQ Second Semester 15

Pre-requisites before taking this module (other modules and/or general educational/academic requirements):
LIFE101; LIFE103; LIFE105; LIFE107; LIFE109; None 

Modules for which this module is a pre-requisite:
 

Co-requisite modules:
 

Linked Modules:
 

Teaching Schedule
  Lectures Seminars Tutorials Lab Practicals Fieldwork Placement Other TOTAL
Study Hours 24

         3

6

 33
Timetable (if known) This refers to timetabled lectures
  		        This refers to scheduled time for in-course and end of module summative assessments.
This refers to scheduled times for additional sessions to supplement the lectures. These are likely to include poster sessions, workshops, group discussions, and/or problem-solving sessions, as deter
  		 
Private Study 117
TOTAL HOURS 150

Assessment
EXAM Duration Timing
(Semester)		 % of
final
mark		 Resit/resubmission
opportunity		 Penalty for late
submission		 Notes
Written Exam  2 hours  Semester 2  65  Yes    Assessment 1 
Unseen Written Exam  1 hour  Semester 2  20  Yes  Standard UoL penalty applies  Assessment 2 
CONTINUOUS Duration Timing
(Semester)		 % of
final
mark		 Resit/resubmission
opportunity		 Penalty for late
submission		 Notes
Coursework  1000 words  Semester 2  10  Yes  Standard UoL penalty applies  Assessment 3 
Coursework  250 words  Semester 2  5  Yes  Standard UoL penalty applies  Assessment 4 Notes (applying to all assessments) 120 Written examination will be multiple choice and extended matching questions. 120.1 online multiple choice questions (20% of module mark); 120.2 presentation of a scientific poster (10% of module mark); 120.3 submission of suitable written questions and outline answers in structured class discussions (5% of module mark).  

Aims

  • This module aims to:

    Describe the physical and chemical contexts of the biosphere, the cycling of important elements at different scales, the distribution of biomes and the ecosystem concept;

  • Discuss ecological concepts such as succession, niche, food web theory, ecosystem stability and the impact of human activities;
  • Explain conservation of biodiversity at a range of scales.
  • Develop knowledge and understanding in ecology, and ability to apply, evaluate and interpret this knowledge to solve problems.
    		•

    Learning Outcomes

    On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

    Identify a range of global problems facing mankind that have ecological origins;
    Link each of these problems to key ecological concepts;
    Recognize how interactions of individuals, populations and communities with the physico-chemical environment contribute to determining species distributions and abundance, and to the flows of energy and nutrients;

    Identify the demographic forces underlying the growth and size of populations and the determination of biodiversity.

    Teaching and Learning Strategies

    Lecture -

    This refers to timetabled lectures

    Assessment -

    This refers to scheduled time for in-course and end of module summative assessments.

    Other -

    This refers to scheduled times for additional sessions to supplement the lectures. These are likely to include poster sessions, workshops, group discussions, and/or problem-solving sessions, as determined by student feedback each year.

    Syllabus
    1  Topic 1: Global biomes
    ·       A descriptive overview of the Earth’s biomes and their distributions.
    < span>·       Global patterns of radiation, rainfall etc and their causes.
    ·       Ecophysiological constraints on biome distribution.
     
     Topic 2: Species distributions
    ·       Conservation and the distribution of species.
    ·       Long-term and historical drivers: plate-tectonics etc.
    ·       Evolutionary adaptation and the distribution of species, ecotypes etc.
     
    Topic 3: Energy flows
    ·       Our global energy crisis dissected.
    ·       Pattern and process in the flow of energy through ecological systems.
    ·        The linkages between local and global energy flows.
     
    Topic 4: Nutrient cycles
    ·       Our global nutrient crises: carbon (greenhouse gases), eutrophication,  acid rain etc.
    ·       Fundamentals of the major nutrient cycles: carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur.
    ·       Mitigation of human effects on nutrient cycles.
     
    Topic 5: Population growth
    ·       What has happened, is happening and will happen to the global human population size.
    ·       Fundamentals of demography: birth death and migration.
    ·       < /span>Model of the population dynamics of unbounded growth.
     
    Topic 6: Ecological biodiversity
    ·       How many species are there on Earth and how quickly are we losing them?
    ·       The meanings of biodiversity and the delineation of populations and communities
    ·       The value of biodiversity: conservation and ecosystem services
     
    Topic 7: Adaptation to the environment
    ·       Changing species distributions in the face of climate change: the past and the predicted future.
    ·       How individual physiology links to species distributions: diapause, acclimation etc.
    ·       Interactions between processes/environments conditions (temperature-humidity etc) in the determination of distributions.
     
    Topic 8:  Biological invasions
    ·       History, definitions and impacts.
    ·       The invasion
    ·       Management and homogenisation

    Recommended Texts
    Reading lists are managed at readinglists.liverpool.ac.uk. Click here to access the reading lists for this module.
    Explanation of Reading List: