ECOL310 Global Change Ecology

Credits (ECTS):5

Course responsible:Milda Norkute, Simon Diederik Schowanek

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Engelsk

Limits of class size:40

Course frequency:Annually

Nominal workload:Lectures: 10 hours. Group discussions: 20 hours. Reading of scientific articles, preparation for group discussions, and reading for exam: 95 hours.

Teaching and exam period:This course starts in Autumn parallel. This course has teaching/evaluation in Autumn parallel, .

About this course

The course explores the effects of global change on organisms, ecosystems, and ecological processes. Upon completion, students will have a deep understanding of the different components of global change, including land use change, climate change, nutrient cycling, pollution, invasive species and the methodologies used to study them.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

Students will gain an understanding of the effects of global change on individuals, populations, communities, ecological processes and ecosystem function. In addition, students will learn different methods to study the effects of global change.

Skills

Upon completion of the course, students will have the ability to:

Read and understand scientific literature

Synthesize complex ecological knowledge in a written and oral format

Think critically about scientific research in the field of global change

General competence

The course gives the student the ability to understand and evaluate the effects of humans on ecological processes and ecosystems. Students will gain specific knowledge in different methods used in global change research. This competence will build the foundation for future work in the field of ecology, natural resource management, and policy regarding the use and protection of ecosystems.

  • Lectures and group discussions.
  • Teachers are available for questions during lecture and group discussions.
  • ECOL200, or equal competence in general ecology
  • An oral examination (30 min) at the end of the course accounts for 60% of the course grade. The quality of the written reports, and the candidates performance in the group discussions accounts for 40% of the course grade. Here is the quality of the written reports of most importance. All of the evaluated elements in the course must be passed to pass the course.
  • External examiner is used at the oral exam.
  • First lecture, written reports and participation in group discussions.
  • Registration for the course no later than 31 August. After this, the 40 places in the course will be distributed.

    Students that have not got a place in the course can meet at the first lecture. Free seats will be distributed after the first lecture.

  • Lectures: 10 hours. Seminars and discussion groups: 20 hours.
  • Students who has the course compulsory (M-ECOL). Then students enrolled in a relevant master program (M-NF, M-MILJØ, M-SF, M-BIOL)
  • Letter grades
  • Special requirements in Science