| Department of Ecology | |||||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | BSc. 2 year | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | Two blocks | ||||||||||||||||
| Credits | 15 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||||
| Course Level | BSc | ||||||||||||||||
| Examination | Final Examination written examination and oral examination Written Exam in Lecturehall No aid allowed Description of Examination: a 4 hour written exam without supporting material and an oral presentation and discussion of report Weight: written examination (50%) and report including oral presentation and duscussion (50%) 13-point scale, internal examiner Dates of Exam: 23 June 2007 | ||||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | lectures and practicals cases, project report | ||||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 3 Week Structure: B Block 4 Week Structure: C | ||||||||||||||||
| Teaching Language | English | ||||||||||||||||
| Mandatory Prerequisites | The course is the last in the two year basic period in the Horticultural Sciences Programme | ||||||||||||||||
| Areas of Competence the Course Will Address | |||||||||||||||||
| Basic science: The course will give a basic understanding of ecological principles for populations, communities and ecosystems. Applied science: knowledge of living resources and their exploitation in agriculture, horticulture and forestry, including an understanding of how flows of matter and energy on multiple scales influence the properties of natural systems. Knows how to state and test simple ecological hypotheses under different settings. Can apply principles for analyses of environmental impacts and resource use Understanding of human created production systems as well as natural systems Knows how to analyse and describe a relevant ecological challenge in a project oriented workgroup and communicate the results orally and in writing Ethics and values: Appreciates the scientific method as an analytical model for ecological research. Are aware of the individual learning process, the dynamics and relationships in group work. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Objectives | |||||||||||||||||
| To give the students knowledge on the influence of production systems on surrounding ecosystems and the environment in general | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Contents | |||||||||||||||||
| 1) Autecology/physiological ecology i.e., the study of the physiological adaptation for organisms. The process of evolutionary adaptation, including the role of environmental heterogeneity and co-evolution (2) Population ecology i.e., population growth, competition, predation which are key factors in the regulation of population size (3) Community ecology and succession providing the main patterns and processes in species composition and community structures (4) Food chains: Resources and consumers, food webs specifically in the context of energy, water and plant nutrient cycles (e.g., C, N, P, S, Cu) as ecosystem services in local and global ecosystems (5) Biological productivity and exploitation in agriculture, horticulture and forestry and natural habitats including ecological function of vegetation, water and soils. (6) overview of terrestrial ecosystems in relation to management, restoration, sustainability and biological diversity (7) Project methodology | |||||||||||||||||
| Teaching And Learning Methods | |||||||||||||||||
| Lectures supplemented by exercises Project in Block 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Litterature | |||||||||||||||||
| Smith, R.L. & Smith, T.M. (2002). Elements of Ecology, 5th edition, Benjamin Cummings. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||||
| Jacob Weiner, jw@life.ku.dk, Department of Agriculture and Ecology/Section of Botany, Phone: 35332822 Susanne Harding, suha@life.ku.dk, Department of Agriculture and Ecology/Section of Zoology, Phone: 35332675 | |||||||||||||||||
| Study Board | |||||||||||||||||
| Study Committee NSN | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Scope | |||||||||||||||||
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