ENVS2005
Ecology & Management of Australian Flora
10 Units
Available in 2014
| Callaghan Campus | Semester 2 |
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| Ourimbah | Semester 2 |
Previously offered in 2013, 2012
This course explores the range and complexity of plant ecosystems and communities, focussing in particular on Australia's flora in terms of their morphology and taxonomy. A number of prominent local plant families and vegetation communities will be examined in detail. The ecology, threats and management associated with these vegetation communities will be discussed. The course will focus on local or regional case studies and examples, as far as possible.
In order to participate in this course, students must complete a compulsory Health and Safety requirement. Students will receive full information on this compulsory component in the course outline provided by the school.
Not to count with EMGT2040.
| Objectives | On successful completion of this course, students will have: 1. A detailed knowledge of Australian Flora, their origin and biodiversity; 2. Developed skills in plant and ecosystem identification and herbarium management; 3. An understanding of the key physiological, anatomical and adaptive features of the major plant taxa; 4. A critical appraisal of the complexity of plant ecosystems and their interactions with the environment; 5. An understanding of the current issues in the degradation of plant communities and the key strategies to manage them; 6. Developed skills in the observation and recording of field and laboratory data; 7. Developed skills in the interpretation of scientific information; 8. The ability to apply or adapt appropriate theory and techniques in a range of contexts; 9. Developed skills in the communication of ideas, observations and conclusions; 10.Developed an understanding of the role of biology in managing environmental resources. |
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| Content | 1. Major plant classes, major Australian plant families and their evolution 2. Principles of cladistics, classifying and naming plants, history of plant taxonomy and the role of plant herbariums 3. Key features of closed forests, open forest, woodland and heathland, their variation with climate and soils, threats and conservation strategies 4. Reproduction by seed and the relevance of pollination, dispersal, seed banks, seed dormancy and germination to the management of flora species 5. Measures of plant abundance, sampling methods for different purposes, finding and estimating population numbers of rare plants, rare plant case study 6. Characteristics of fire, plant adaptations to fire, ecological impacts of altered fire regimes and fire management principles 7. Role of fungi in ecosystem processes, associations with plants, morphology, types and identification of fungi 8. Factors promoting weed invasion, characteristics of the ideal weed, community invasibility and weed management strategies 9. Principles of revegetation, assessing resilience, importance of provenance, genetic integrity and restoration case studies 10. Wetland classification & hydrology, adaptations and response to flooding, threats and management case studies 11. Vegetative and floral morphology of Eucalypts, pollinators, flowering, seed dispersal and germination requirements of Eucalypts, vegetative growth strategies, management case study 12. Vegetative and floral morphology of grasses, ecological role of grasses, use and management of grasses |
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| Replacing Course(s) | EMGT2040 Australian Flora | ||||
| Transition | Not to count for credit with EMGT2040 | ||||
| Industrial Experience | 0 | ||||
| Assumed Knowledge | BIOL1001 or BIOL1002, AND BIOL1003 (Callaghan students) BIOL1040 and BIOL1050 (Ourimbah students) |
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| Modes of Delivery | Internal Mode | ||||
| Teaching Methods | Field Study
Lecture Laboratory |
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| Assessment Items |
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| Contact Hours | Lecture: for 2 hour(s) per Week for Full Term Laboratory: for 3 hour(s) per Week for Full Term |
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| Compulsory Components |
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| Timetables | 2014 Course Timetables for ENVS2005 |