BIO3100 - Advanced methods in field ecology

Overview

Many ecologists work in consultancies, government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that deal with either generating or interpreting ecological data. Both data generation and interpretation require that graduates understand best practice approaches for sampling, monitoring and simple experimentation. In this unit you will encounter the hands-on practicalities of designing and carrying out robust sampling or experimental approaches in field ecology. You will learn about scales of replication, the issues around randomisation, effective controls, stratified sampling and maximising the inferential power of sampling regimes or experiments despite logistic constraints. This unit focuses on these issues directly, integrating fieldwork, data collection and analysis. You will develop your employability skills as you undertake a range of data collection approaches for working in various habitats and systems (e.g. plankton sampling in freshwater systems, insect sampling, vegetation surveys).

Offerings

S2-01-CLAYTON-BLENDED

Rules

Enrolment Rule

Contacts

Chief Examiner(s)

Prof Dustin Marshall

Unit Coordinator(s)

Prof Dustin Marshall

Teaching approach

Enquiry-based learning

You will be tasked with designing a robust and rigorous environmental monitoring program, based on fixed budgets and various constraints, to maximize your capacity to detect an environmental impact should one exist. Through a series of workshops, as groups, you will work through the various steps necessary to create a robust program and then modify their program according to bespoke constraints to tailor their individual programs as necessary. This component will require ~24 of the 36 hours of workshops and will involve some asynchronous video lecture content as well as live lecture content.

Active learning

Problem-based learning

You will be tasked with evaluating and critiquing environmental impact assessments that mimic real world programs. Through a series of workshops you will presented with various monitoring programs or experimental design and work through the process for evaluating their rigor and power before then providing an independent critique of the hypothetical impact assessment. 12 of the 36 hours of workshops will be focused on this problem specifically and will involve some asynchronous video lecture content as well as live lecture content.

Assessment

1 - Report from field camp

2 - Proposed monitoring program project

3 - Open book take home problem

Scheduled and non-scheduled teaching activities

Practical activities

Workshops

Workload requirements

Workload

Learning resources

Required resources

Availability in areas of study

Ecology and conservation biology
Plant sciences
Environmental science