303536 (v.2) Environmental Awareness 112

Area:

Department of Environmental Biology

Credits:

12.5

Contact Hours:

2.0

Lecture:

1 x 2 Hours Weekly

Syllabus:

Complexity of ecological systems. Special features of WA. Nutrient cycling. Water and nutrient flow in ecosystems. Population genetics. Mining rehabilitation. Realities. River systems, wetlands, salt lakes. Factors affecting community structure. Role of water in human settlement. Energy flow. Coastal and marine environment. Succession. Environmental issues in Australia. Population dynamics. Feral animals. Biological diversity at different levels. Biodiversity and plant/animal interactions. Natural, agricultural, urban ecosystems. Man the destroyer. Preditor/prey interactions. Fish and Fisheries. Sandplain country and Swan Coastal.

Unit Outcomes:

On successful completion of this course students will have gained an understanding of some common ecological processes and an increased awareness of their environment. They will have gained knowledge on the basic principles of ecology, such as nutrient cycling, community structures, population genetics, population dynamics, biological diversity, Australian ecology, and urban and agricultural ecosystems. They will have also gained a more focused understanding of characteristics specific to Western Australian environments, such as water availability, coastal and marine environments and introduced species.

Text and references listed above are for your information only and current as of September 30, 2003. Please check with the unit coordinator for up-to-date information.

Unit References:

No prescribed references.

Unit Texts:

Knox B., Ladiges P., Evans E., Saint R., 2001, 'Biology', 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill, Sydney.

Unit Assessment Breakdown:

Final Examination 100%.

Year	Location	Period	Internal	Area External	Central External
2004	Bentley Campus	Semester 2	Y