Students
BIOL787 – Biodiversity Conservation
2014 – S1 Day
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Other Staff
Katherine McClellan
Contact via katherine.mcclellan@mq.edu.au
Unit Convenor
David Nipperess
Contact via david.nipperess@mq.edu.au
E8B105
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
4
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
Biol887
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit deals with the problem of conserving biodiversity as a whole rather than concentrating on individual species or populations. The unit is applied and multidisciplinary, drawing on such areas as ecology, evolutionary biology, biogeography, informatics and statistics. We will explore the concept of biodiversity in both the scientific and legislative arenas. The problem of measuring biodiversity is considered in detail, including the conceptual and practical impediments to measurement. Current and emerging threats to biodiversity are reviewed on a global scale, along with the practical and ethical arguments for conservation. An emphasis is given to analysing and interpreting patterns in biodiversity in space and time as a means of informing conservation decisions. Teaching will be via lectures and tutorials.
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Knowledge of conservation biology: demonstrate knowledge of the concepts, principles and methods of conservation biology as practiced at the scale of ecological communities and above
- Analysis and interpretion of biodiversity patterns: acquire, compile and analyse biodiversity data and interpret observed pattern in a conservation context
- Conservation monitoring and planning: formulate a plan for the conservation of biodiversity for a specified region, making use of both available data, and additional data collected using a targeted monitoring procedure.
- Scientific literacy and communication: Review, critically evaluate and synthesize diverse scientific literature in the area of conservation biology and communicate an understanding of this in a written form.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Reading assignment | 15% | Weeks 4, 8 & 12 |
| Short Essay | 25% | Week 6 |
| Online test | 30% | Week 10 |
| Conservation Plan | 30% | Week 13 |
Reading assignment
Due: Weeks 4, 8 & 12
Weighting: 15%
The unit is organised into 12 weekly topics (see unit schedule). Each week, you are to find a scientific paper (in a peer-reviewed journal) relevant to the topic, read it, and write a 300-500 word commentary. Every 4 weeks (on weeks 4, 8 and 12), you are to submit your work in the form of an annotated bibliography. Each submission is worth 5% of the assessment (adding up to 15%). Students are encouraged to submit early and feedback will be given on a rolling basis. Marks will be allocated on the basis of the choice of paper (relevance to topic), reflection (not just repeating the article) and writing quality.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Knowledge of conservation biology: demonstrate knowledge of the concepts, principles and methods of conservation biology as practiced at the scale of ecological communities and above
- Analysis and interpretion of biodiversity patterns: acquire, compile and analyse biodiversity data and interpret observed pattern in a conservation context
- Scientific literacy and communication: Review, critically evaluate and synthesize diverse scientific literature in the area of conservation biology and communicate an understanding of this in a written form.
Short Essay
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 25%
You will write a short essay addressing one question from the following list:
1.How many species are there on earth?
2.Why are there more species in the tropics than elsewhere?
3.Are some species more worthy of conservation efforts than others?
4.Why do we need biodiversity?
5.What is the single biggest threat to biodiversity in the 21st century?
If you have a different question you wish to research, please discuss your option with the convenor.
This essay needs to very focussed on answering the question because the maximum length is 1500 words! This total does not include references. Do not waffle. Be as concise as possible while making extensive use of the peer-reviewed literature to support your case. Don't review each paper in turn but rather determine what are the key points/issues/problems and address these. Importantly, provide an answer to the question! In other words, come to a decision and state it clearly.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Knowledge of conservation biology: demonstrate knowledge of the concepts, principles and methods of conservation biology as practiced at the scale of ecological communities and above
- Scientific literacy and communication: Review, critically evaluate and synthesize diverse scientific literature in the area of conservation biology and communicate an understanding of this in a written form.
Online test
Due: Week 10
Weighting: 30%
Instead of a final exam, there will be an online test to be completed in your own time. The test will be a combination of multiple-choice and short-answer questions and will be based on all lectures and tutorials given up to that point. The test will be available for a period of one week on the iLearn site. Once you begin a test, you will need to complete it within the time limit. Marks and feedback will become available after the test has been closed.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Knowledge of conservation biology: demonstrate knowledge of the concepts, principles and methods of conservation biology as practiced at the scale of ecological communities and above
- Analysis and interpretion of biodiversity patterns: acquire, compile and analyse biodiversity data and interpret observed pattern in a conservation context
- Scientific literacy and communication: Review, critically evaluate and synthesize diverse scientific literature in the area of conservation biology and communicate an understanding of this in a written form.
Conservation Plan
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 30%
You will prepare a conservation plan for prioritising land management and acquisition for conservation purposes in an Australian bioregion (to be determined). We will use existing data on species distributions sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia. From these data, you will interpret biodiversity pattern in order to make decisions about conservation prioritisation. Analyses for this assignment will be conducted during tutorials. Students can collaborate on making a conservation plan but write and submit their assignments individually. The plan is expected to be well illustrated with maps and graphs, have an extensive bibliography, and be no more than 2000 words (not including bibliography).
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Knowledge of conservation biology: demonstrate knowledge of the concepts, principles and methods of conservation biology as practiced at the scale of ecological communities and above
- Analysis and interpretion of biodiversity patterns: acquire, compile and analyse biodiversity data and interpret observed pattern in a conservation context
- Conservation monitoring and planning: formulate a plan for the conservation of biodiversity for a specified region, making use of both available data, and additional data collected using a targeted monitoring procedure.
- Scientific literacy and communication: Review, critically evaluate and synthesize diverse scientific literature in the area of conservation biology and communicate an understanding of this in a written form.
Delivery and Resources
Technology
This unit requires access to a computer and a reliable internet connection to complete tutorials and assignments. Both weekly tutorials (internal students) and on-campus sessions (external students) will be held in computer labs with the relevant software installed. Students attempting tutorials on their own will need to install particular software packages (details in tutorial notes). Some of these packages are only available for Windows OS.
Delivery for internal students
Internal students are expected to attend weekly lectures and tutorials. Times and venues can be found in the university timetable. If unable to make the scheduled times, please discuss options with the convenor.
Delivery for external students
Lectures are recorded and lectures are made available on the unit website. For tutorials, external students are expected to attend two weekend sessions. The dates for these sessions are: 22-23 March and 17-18 May. Attendance at the on-campus sessions is strongly recommended but not compulsory.
Unit website
Teaching materials and online communications will be via the unit website (ilearn.mq.edu.au).
Changes since last offering
There have been some minor changes since the last offering (2013) of this unit. The reading assignment is now spread over the semester, rather than being due at the end. The online tests have been consolidated into a single test and is a lower percentage of the total marks for the unit (with consequent increases in weightings for other assignments).
Unit Schedule
Activities are organised into weekly topics. Please note that the current schedule is provisional and is subject to minor changes.
|
Week |
Topic |
Lecture |
Tutorial |
| 1 | Biodiversity and conservation | Biodiversity and conservation | Orientation |
| 2 | Measuring biodiversity | Measuring biodiversity | What is biodiversity? |
| 3 | Loss of biodiversity | Extinction and threatening processes | Threatened species |
| 4 | Habitat loss and fragmentation | Habitat loss and fragmentation | Island biogeography |
| 5 | Biodiversity informatics | Biodiversity informatics | Atlas of Living Australia |
| 6 | Biodiversity survey | Inventory and monitoring | Surveying biodiversity |
| 7 | Valuing biodiversity | Conservation ethics and valuing biodiversity | Biodiversity data analysis |
| 8 | Ecological communities | Communities and meta-communities | Mapping and estimating biodiversity |
| 9 | Global biodiversity patterns | Global biodiversity patterns | Prioritisation for conservation |
| 10 | Conservation biogeography | Conservation biogeography | Online test |
| 11 | Conservation planning | Conservation planning | Conservation planning |
| 12 | Ecological management and restoration | Ecological management and restoration | Drop-in session |
| 13 | No lecture | No tutorial |
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.