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Coordinator: A/Prof Leon Barmuta with Prof Rob White
Semester 1; Monday 10-12 & 1-5
With Australia being the driest inhabited continent, understanding the ecology of fresh waters is especially urgent. Although Tasmania has had its share of major impacts (dams, drainage of wetlands, river ‘improvements’), we are still fortunate to have many relatively undisturbed habitats and an exciting endemic fauna – some of it within walking distance of the Hobart campus! In addition, freshwater organisms are increasingly being used to monitor and assess the condition of rivers, wetlands and lakes, and there is a steady demand for graduates competent in the ecology of inland waters.
In this unit we focus on understanding how freshwaters ‘work’ by encompassing the physical, chemical and biological processes that ‘drive’ freshwater systems. There are two formal field excursions (held during timetabled slots within the semester) and the second half of the semester’s practical work is devoted to independent group research projects. These projects give you the opportunity to experience designing and implementing freshwater research first-hand, and enable you to build on the skills you have learned in the first part of the unit.
By the end of the unit, we hope that you will have developed a well-rounded, basic understanding of how fish, invertebrates and aquatic plants function in inland waters, what human-induced changes threaten our freshwater heritage, and, how ecological knowledge can be used to improve the management of these habitats. You might even grow to appreciate the aesthetic fashion statement inherent in wearing waders!
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