Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit convenor
Linda Beaumont
Contact via 9850 8157
6 Science road, room 319 (E8B 319)
Lecturer
Katherine McClellan
Contact via 9850 8164
6 Science road, room 224 (E8B 224)
Technical Officer
Nick Harris
Contact via 9850 4078
14 Eastern Road, room 106 (E8A 106)
Katherine McClellan
Linda Beaumont
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(15cp including [6cp from (BIOL114 or BIOL115 or BIOL116 or BIOL121)] or [3cp from (BIOL114 or BIOL115 or BIOL116 or BIOL121) and 3cp from (ENVE117 or ENVS117 or GEOS117)] and [3cp from (STAT170 or STAT171)])
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
BIOL601
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Unit description |
Unit description
Ecology is the study of the distribution and abundance of organisms and of the processes that generate these patterns. This unit covers basic ecological concepts at the level of organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems. We study how interactions among organisms - and between organisms and their physical environment - shape the natural world. This unit also addresses how ecological concepts can be applied to current issues such as climate change, conservation, fisheries and agriculture. There is a compulsory field trip for all students in the mid-semester lecture break and a two day on-campus practical session for external students over a weekend early in the session. STAT170 (or STAT171) is a prerequisite for this unit because we use both descriptive statistics and statistical tests to investigate community structure, population dynamics and how organisms interact with the environment. Many students find that the skills they gain taking BIOL235 compliments the skills needed in this Ecology unit.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Expected workload
Each three credit point unit at Macquarie is equivalent to 150 hours of study. In BIOL227, we have broken this down into the following activities.
Activity |
Time requirement (hrs) |
Weighting (% of overall grade) |
Lectures |
25 |
|
Readings |
24 |
|
Practicals |
4 x 3 hours |
|
Fieldtrip |
6 x 3 hours |
|
Review for mid-semester test |
10 |
15% |
Pre-prac quiz |
3.5 |
5% |
Ecology Reserve Report |
14 |
20% |
Fieldtrip Report |
18 |
25% |
Final exam |
25 |
35% |
Assignment submission
The written assessments (Practical Report and Field Trip Report) are to be submitted via the appropriate TURNITIN link on iLearn by 11:59 pm on the due date (i.e. paper copies of these assessments are NOT required by either internal or external students).
TURNITIN is a powerful online tool for the detection of plagiarism. It works by comparing the text of a submitted document (i.e., your assignment) with the work of your current classmates, past students in BIOL227 and other courses at Macquarie, as well as published material in books, journals and on the web.
Academic Honesty
Presenting the work of another person as one’s own is a serious breach of the University’s rules and carries significant penalties. The University’s Academic Integrity Policy can be found at:
In this unit, we will be checking written work for plagiarism using TURNITIN. Penalties for plagiarism may include a zero mark for the assignment or in more extreme cases, failure of the unit.
Extensions, penalties and Special Consideration
Late assignments will attract a penalty of -10% of the total marks allocated to the exercise per day.
You may hand in your work after the due date and escape penalty only if you have an acceptable reason (usually a medical certificate). Discuss your problem with the Lecturer as early as possible before the due date.
Information about the Special Considerations policy and procedure is online at Policy Central: https://staff.mq.edu.au/work4/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration
All requests for Special Consideration should be submitted using the online form: ask.mq.edu.au
Final exam
If you receive special consideration for the final exam, a supplementary exam will be scheduled in the week of December 17-21 2018. By making a special consideration application for the final exam you are declaring yourself available for a resit during the supplementary examination period and will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments. Please ensure you are familiar with the policy prior to submitting an application. Approved applicants will receive an individual notification one week prior to the exam with the exact date and time of their supplementary examination.
Return of Assessment Tasks
Marked assignments and feedback will be available online through the turnitin submission link 2-3 weeks after assignment submission.
Grading
In order to pass this unit you must (a) attend and participate in the fieldtrip activities at Stanwell Tops, and (b) attain an overall grade of 50% or more.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
---|---|---|---|
Lecture participation | 5% | No | Weekly |
Pre-prac quizzes | 5% | No | Weeks 3-4 |
Mid-semester Test | 15% | No | Week 7, 11 September 2018 |
Ecology Reserve Report | 15% | No | 21 September 2018 |
Field Trip Report | 25% | No | Week 11, 22 October 2018 |
Final Exam | 35% | No | Examination period |
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 5%
During each lecture a few of questions will be asked using the Echo 360 ALP in iLearn. Students will need to respond during class on their smart device (laptop, tablet or smart phone after downloading the Echo 360 ALP mobile app., for this to work you must log the BIOl227/601 iLearn unit and click on the Echo 360 ALP once to link your profile with this class, if you don't have a device talk to the unit convenor). Participation for internal students requires lecture attendance and participation (either in person or online), recordings will be paused and muted during activities and activity slide results hidden so that external students can participate at home. External students will be expected to undertake lectures by the end of the week that the lecture was given in (i.e 11:59pm on Sundays).
Due: Weeks 3-4
Weighting: 5%
Pre-prac quizzes will involve reading material, thinking about hypotheses to be tested and experimental designs. The purpose of this is to provide you with appropriate background to undertake the prac, so we can “get stuck in” straight away. Pre-Prac Quizzes will close as soon as your registered prac class begins. You should expected to spend approximately 1.5 hours on this activity, prior to the pracs for Weeks 3 and 4. Note that your first written assessment will be based on one of these two fieldbased activities.
Due: Week 7, 11 September 2018
Weighting: 15%
An in-class, open book test will be held in Week 7. This will be based on lecture material AND recommended readings from Weeks 1-6. The test will be multiple choice and will include numerical exercises similar to those taught in lectures. Questions will be randomly allocated to students. This test will run for 45 minutes in duration. Internal students must be physically present in the lecture theatre for this test and you will be given a password in class to access the test. External Students will be given different access based on their external enrolment (no password) and must complete the test between 12pm Tuesday 11 September and 11:59pm Sunday 16 September.
Due: 21 September 2018
Weighting: 15%
One of two class pracs conducted in the Macquarie University Ecology Reserve will be written up as an individual report. The report (max 1000 words excluding Abstract, Acknowledgements and References) is to be in the style of the journal Austral Ecology. The journal has strict formatting instructions that must be followed throughout. These can be found at the bottom of the instructions for authors, on the journal web-site: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1442-9993/homepage/ForAuthors.html. Specifics on the marking scheme and formatting can be found on iLearn. This activity should require 14 hours of work.
Due: Week 11, 22 October 2018
Weighting: 25%
The second report will communicate the results of the independent research project conducted on the Stanwell Tops field trip. The word-limit for this second report, which will also be formatted as an Austral Ecology manuscript, is 1500 words (again excluding Abstract, Acknowledgements and References). Further details can be found in the Field Trip practical notes (which will be posted on iLearn). This activity should require 18 hours of work.
Due: Examination period
Weighting: 35%
The final exam (worth 35% of your mark) will be held during the Semester 2 Exam Period and will be 2 hr (plus 10 min reading time). Please consult the University Handbook to determine the commencement and finishing dates of the compulsory exam period. You will be permitted to take a non-programmable calculator and/or English language dictionary into the exam. Notes will not be permitted. The exam will focus on material from Weeks 7-13, but short answer questions may also require knowledge of subject matter from Weeks 1-6.
The exam questions have been carefully written to test understanding, not rote learning:
If you receive special consideration for the final exam, a supplementary exam will be scheduled in the week of December 17-21 2018. By making a special consideration application for the final exam you are declaring yourself available for a resit during the supplementary examination period and will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments. Please ensure you are familiar with the policy prior to submitting an application. Approved applicants will receive an individual notification one week prior to the exam with the exact date and time of their supplementary examination.
Unit web page
Lecture slides and recordings (accessible through the APL Echo 360 block), unit readings, copies of all unit hand-outs and helpful resources for completion of assessments will be available electronically, through iLearn. Consequently, it is strongly recommended that you interact with the BIOL227/601 iLearn site unit at least weekly. To access the online unit, go to https://iLearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/ and type in your Macquarie OneID Username and password.
New to iLearn? You can find out more at: http://www.mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/
Experiencing technical difficulties? Visit: http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/
Text books
While there is a text book that some lectures will follow, you do not need to purchase this as a copy will be in special reserve and online:
Begon M, Howarth RW, Townsend CR (2014) Essentials of ecology. 4th edition. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Cambridge. The 3rd (2008) edition is also acceptable, if you can come by it second hand.
Other text books also available in special reserve:
Lecture timetable ***NB: All internal students are expected to attend every lecture
Week |
Date |
Lecture |
Topic |
Lecturer |
Part 1. Ecological Methods and Organisms and their environment |
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1 |
31 July |
1 |
Ecology: what is it and how is it done? |
LB |
|
1 Aug |
2 |
Conditions, resources and the niche concept |
LB |
2 |
7 Aug |
3 |
Distributions |
LB |
|
8 Aug |
4 |
An introduction to ecological field sampling |
KM |
3 |
14 Aug |
5 |
Global patterns of productivity |
LB |
|
15 Aug |
6 |
Effects of environment on life history |
LB |
Part 3: Communities and ecosystems |
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4 |
21 Aug |
7 |
Describing community structure: diversity and species richness |
LB |
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22 Aug |
8 |
The more the merrier: why biodiversity matters |
KM |
Part 2: Interactions among species |
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5 |
28 Aug |
9 |
Population growth and intraspecific competition |
LB |
|
29 Aug |
10 |
Interspecific competition |
LB |
6 |
4 Sept |
11 |
Predation |
LB |
|
5 Sept |
12 |
Parasitism and disease |
LB |
7 |
11 Sept |
13 |
Mid semester test |
LB |
|
12 Sept |
14 |
Stanwell Tops: Introduction to Field Trip |
KM |
Semester Break & Stanwell Tops Field Trip |
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8 |
2 Oct |
15 |
Facilitation |
LB |
|
3 Oct |
16 |
Processes influencing community structure: disturbance and succession |
KM |
9 |
9 Oct |
17 |
Processes influencing community structure: island biogeography |
KM |
|
10 Oct |
18 |
The flux of energy through food webs i |
KM |
10 |
16 Oct |
19 |
The flux of energy through food webs ii |
KM |
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17 Oct |
20 |
Spatial subsidies: another time, another place |
KM |
Part 4. Applied ecological issues |
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11 |
23 Oct |
21 |
Ecological impact assessment |
KM |
|
24 Oct |
22 |
Restoration ecology |
KM |
12 |
30 Oct |
23 |
Invasive species and their management |
KM |
|
31 Oct |
24 |
Managed ecosystems: agriculture, fisheries and forestry |
KM |
13 |
6 Nov |
25 |
Global climate change |
LB |
|
7 Nov |
26 |
Exam discussion, revision, 300-level unit information |
LB & KM |
LB: Dr Linda Beaumont
KM: Dr Katherine McClellan
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
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Date | Description |
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24/08/2018 | - |
27/07/2018 | - |
26/07/2018 | Updated info on Special considerations Policy and added more information about unit assessments and unit teaching |