APS246   Plant Habitat and Distribution   (10 credits)

Description

This course will: provide experience of work in the laboratory and in the field; provide an introduction to the techniques employed in the study of plants in relation to their habitats and the vegetation in which they occur; develop skills in record keeping, observation, sampling, identification, problem solving, task-oriented team work, data interpretation, communication and the application of biological principles; and help develop an understanding of aspects of the plant environment and the importance of environmental variables and plant traits in controlling species distributions. This course consists of an integrated series of 12 sessions which include lectures and practical work relevant to understanding controls on plant distributions and community composition. The course includes 2 field excursions (soil and vegetation sampling), 7 practical classes (soil chemical analysis, experimental ecology, vegetation data analysis and vegetation processes), 8 lectures and 1 session for synthesis, interpretation and presentation of the data for the module as a whole.

Reading List