KPA379 Plant Ecology

Dr NS Davidson, Dr MJ Hovenden (Coordinator)

This unit provides a comprehensive overview of the processes shaping terrestrial plant populations, communities and ecosystems with special attention paid to plant-animal interactions and global change biology. Students develop practical skills in the analysis of vegetation, the analysis and projection of population size and dynamics and the investigation of plant-animal interactions. The lecture course covers modern thinking in plant ecology, plant-animal interactions and the responses of species, communities and ecosystems to global climate change.

The practicals, half of which are based in the field, provide skills in the collection, analysis and interpretation of ecological data.

There is no set text book. All work is from the primary literature.

For further details: contact Dr Mark Hovenden.