LSC-10062 - Module Specification
School of Life Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

This module offers an exciting way to explore the wealth of biodiversity still in the world and to cover key aspects of ecology, environmental issues and conservation. It is divided into two themes. In the Biodiversity theme, after a brief introduction to the ways in which organisms are classified the student will follow selected animal and plant taxa through the processes of movement, foraging, digestion and reproduction.
The Ecology and the Environment theme begin with the functioning of ecosystems and population dynamics and go onto explore environmental issues such as sustainability, and habitat degradation The role of conservation in protecting natural environments will be introduced with special reference to climate change. Case studies will bring all the threads of the module together. As well as lectures the student will take part in practical classes which in the past have included use of microscopes and field visits to observe monkey behaviour and the study of nearby habitats

To give students a broad knowledge of the diversity of living organisms and how some life functions are carried out by selected taxa, and to provide an understanding of populations and communities, the environmental problems they face and the ways conservation can be used to protect them

Intended Learning Outcomes

explain the diversity of selected functions in a range of taxa
: 3
explain, using key protist, animal and plant examples, the hierarchical nature of classification and the use of binomial nomenclature
: 3
design an experiment that uses evidence-based, empirical methods: 1
2
outline the ways in which populations and communities function and interact and perform calculations involving simple population dynamics models: 2
evaluate basic theories and concepts in ecology and conservation
: 2
describe the ecology and environmental issues associated with a specified ecosystem
:

Study hours

Lectures 36 h
Practicals 54 h
tutorials 2 h
experimental design project 15 h
formative project 10 h
exams 2 h
private study 181 h

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment