All students are required to attend both on-campus sessions. OCS1 will run on Saturday-Sunday August 19-20. OCS2 will run on Wed-Fri September 27-29. Internal students are only required to attend the first 2 days of OCS2.

Preparation of written reports

Please use the following list to check your assignments before electronic submission.

• Report is typewritten
• Text is the required length
• Text has been proof-read and spell-checked
• References are reputable sources, and are cited at appropriate points within the text
• Formatting of references in the text and in the reference list is correct
• Assignment is your own work - not copied verbatim from reference sources or other students. (see note on plagiarism, below, and the relevant University Policy)

Note: written assessment tasks will be marked within 3 weeks of submission.

Referencing

Both written reports (Assessments 1 and 3, below) will require references. The references you consult may include textbooks, edited books or scientific journals. References should be listed in alphabetical order at the end and are not to be included in the word count.

There are different styles of referencing – each journal has its own individual style. For BIOL347 this year we have chosen to follow the style of Austral Ecology journal. For example,

Book:

Atwell B. J., Kriedemann P. E. & Turnbull C. G. N. (1999) Plants in action: adaptation in nature, performance in cultivation. MacMillan Education Australia, Melbourne.

Chapter in edited book:

Cornelissen J. H. C., Castro-Diez P. & Carnelli A. L. (1998) Variation in relative growth rate among woody species. In: Inherent variation in plant growth. Physiological mechanisms and ecological consequences (eds H. Lambers, H. Poorter and M. M. I. Van Vuuren) pp. 363-92. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.

Journal article:

Grime J. P. & Hunt R. (1975) Relative growth-rate: its range and adaptive significance in a local flora. J Ecology 63, 393-422.

In the main text of your report these sources would be cited as (Atwell et al. 1999; Cornelissen et al. 1998; Grime & Hunt 1975). Consult a recent issue of the journal if unsure about how to cite and format literature sources.

Penalties

5% of the marks for the written assignments will be deducted for each day they are late, and assignments will not be accepted for marking if more than 10 days overdue. Exceptions can be granted by the unit Convenor if there are sufficiently serious medical or other extenuating circumstances (appropriate supporting documentation should be provided).

Penalties will be applied for reports being noticeably over the word limit, and increasingly so the more over the limit they are.

Plagiarism. Students are required to submit Assignments 1 and 3 via the plagiarism detection software Turnitin. This can be accessed on the unit’s iLearn website. Your assessment task will be automatically compared to work of your classmates, previous students from Macquarie and other universities, and with material available on the Internet. The results of the analysis will be sent to the unit Convenor. Any evidence of plagiarism will be dealt with following University policy. The penalties imposed by the University for plagiarism are serious and may include loss of marks, referral to a Faculty disciplinary committee, or even expulsion from the University.

Requirements for Practical classes

The work carried out during practical classes is an important and integral part of the course. You must read, download and either print the prac notes to bring to each class, or bring them on a laptop or tablet.

Laboratory requirements

• Notebook and pencils/pens for notes & diagrams
• Laptop, if you have one, with Excel and Word (or open source equivalents)
• USB data stick to transfer data (recently checked with anti-virus software)
• Enclosed shoes (you cannot be present in the lab or field without these)
• No food or drink in University laboratories
• Please switch mobile phones off

Field requirements

• Clip board for field sheets
• Pencils/pens for notes
• Appropriate clothing (walking shoes or boots, rain jacket, sun protection, trousers and long sleeved shirt)
• Water bottle and lunch/snacks
• Small back pack to carry your equipment
• First aid kits will be supplied

NOTE 1: The field work will require a 15 minute walk into a reserve and working in uneven terrain. Any students with medical issues or requiring assistance should indicate this on their fieldwork participation form. All students must submit this form otherwise they cannot participate in the fieldwork. Please submit this form, via iLearn, by Friday 11th August.

NOTE 2: After rain there can be leeches present at the MQ Ecology Reserve, especially down near the creek. Leeches are non-toxic and do not carry disease, but they are still a nuisance. To minimize chances of leech problems we suggest tucking your pants into your socks, shirts into pants, etc, and liberally applying insect repellent to your shoes, clothes and exposed skin. Initially leeches can be removed by flicking, but once well attached the best way to remove a leech is with salt. Apply a band-aid immediately, since they inject an anti-coagulant to ensure a nice blood flow. (MQ field staff have First Aid kits and are accredited in  first aid). Ticks are also a possibility but can be readily detached, are also discouraged by insect repellent.

Recommended Reading

There is no set textbook for this subject. Recommended books (all available on Reserve in the library) that, between them, cover many of the topics dealt with in lectures include:

• Attiwill PM & Wilson B (Eds) (2006). Ecology : An Australian Perspective. Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Vic.
• Atwell BJ, Kriedemann PE & Turnbull CGN (1999). Plants In Action: Adaptation In Nature, Performance In Cultivation. MacMillan Education Australia, Melbourne.
• Chapin FSI, Matson PA & Mooney HA (2002). Principles of Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology. Springer, New York.
• Gurevitch J, Scheiner SM & Fox GA (2006). The Ecology of Plants. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Publishers, Sunderland, MA. 2^nd Edition.
• Lambers H, Chapin FS & Pons TL (1998). Plant Physiological Ecology. Springer-Verlag, New York.
• Pugnaire FI & Valladares F (Eds) (2007). Functional plant ecology. CRC Press, Boca Raton. 2^nd Edition.
• Raven PH, Evert RF, Eichhorn SE (2013). Biology of plants. WH Freeman, New York. 8th Edition. (or 7^th edition – published 2005).
• Willis KJ & McElwain JC (2014). The Evolution of Plants. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 2^nd Edition.

Most or all lectures will include a list of key readings (journal articles, book chapters etc). Where possible we will make these available, whether through the Library Reserve or through the unit iLearn page.

Technology Used and required

All course content will be made available via the iLearn unit webpage (URL for iLearn is: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/).  You are expected to use iLearn for:

• Regularly checking subject announcements;
• Downloading lecture and reference materials;
• Submitting assignments;
• Checking your grades.

Basic multimedia software (e.g., Windows Media Player or Quicktime) will be needed to listen to recorded lectures. Students will be required to use appropriate software, particularly Excel and Minitab, for data analysis and graphing. Minitab is available to download and install on your laptop via http://web.science.mq.edu.au/it/software/. Alternatively, you may choose to run Minitab via iLab (see https://wiki.mq.edu.au/display/iLab/About).

Lectures will be held on Mondays (3-4 pm, E5A-110) and Wednesdays (12-1 pm, W5C-335). Lectures will be made available via Echo.  A timetable of lectures will be put up on iLearn close to the start of semester.

Tutorials for internal students will be held on Mondays, immediately following the lecture, from 3-4 pm. Tutorials will either be held in E5A-180 or in the Plant Growth Facility (F5A-400, at the top of the F5A car park). Further details will be given at the start of semester. Tutorials for external students will be held during the On-Campus Sessions.

Compulsory On-Campus Sessions are scheduled for Sat-Sun August 19-20 ("OCS1"), and Wed-Fri September 27-29 ("OCS2"). These block practicals are compulsory for all students (internal and external). You are required to arrive well in time for a 9.00 am start each day. Most days we will finish around 5.00 pm, but probably around lunch-time on Friday September 29. ** Internbal students only need attend the first two days of the second OCS, i.e. Sept 27-28.

During August 19 we will work for part of the day in the field, at the MQ Ecology Reserve (a short walk from the University). More information will be posted on the unit’s iLearn website in advance of the on-campus sessions.

Unless otherwise specified we will meet at the beginning of each day at the E8C level 1 teaching labs. Access to the labs is via the Biology courtyard.