School of Life Sciences  
 
 
LSC-20002 Symbiotic Interactions between Organisms  
Co-ordinator: Dr Catherine Merrick    Room: HUX204, Tel:34111  
Teaching Team:  
Lecture Time: See Timetable...  
Level: 2 Credits: 15 Study Hours: 150  
School Office: Tel: 01782 734414
 
 
 
Programme/Approved Electives for

Biology Dual Honours (Level 2)
Biology Major (Level 2)
Biology Minor (Level 2)

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

Cannot be taken with LSC-20031 Human and Animal Cognition or LSC-20052 Nutrition and Energy Balance.

Description

No organism lives in isolation: all organisms interact in complex ways with others in their environment. Some interactions involve intimate contact in which one organism lives on, or in, another. These are known as symbiotic associations and they can be beneficial, neutral or harmful to one or both partners. Symbiotic interactions thus include mutualism, commensalism and parasitism. They are considered to be a driving force of evolution.

In this module we will use a wide range of examples to consider the difficulty of defining such relationships, how they are established and maintained, the costs and benefits associated with symbiosis and the role it has played in the evolution of life. Using a combination of lectures, laboratory classes, films and field work, students will investigate these concepts using case studies such as parasitic relationships between tapeworms or malaria parasites and humans, and mutualistic relationships such as figs and fig wasps, lichens and mycorrhizas.

No prerequisites are required and this module is not a prerequisite for any module.


Aims

To provide an understanding of the biological features required to sustain an intimate association between unrelated organisms (symbiotic relationships).


Intended Learning Outcomes

Know and critically understand the concept of symbiotic interactions.
Apply the concepts of Symbiology to evaluate how different forms of relationships are established and maintained.
Effectively communicate to specialists and a non-specialist audience the problems faced by symbiotic organisms.

Study hours

Lectures 20 Hours
Tutorials 1 Hour
Practicals 27 Hours
In course essay preparation 30 Hours
Private study 72 Hours


Description of Module Assessment

001: Oral Presentation weighted 5%
10 minute oral presentation


002: Essay weighted 20%
1500 word essay


003: 2 Hour Unseen Exam weighted 75%
2 hour unseen examination



Version: (1.06B) Updated: 03/Mar/2013

This document is the definitive current source of information about this module and supersedes any other information.