Functional Ecology (BIOL3300)

Course overview

This course will explore the ecological strategies that animals and plants adopt to acquire resources, grow, survive and reproduce. It will provide students with an appreciation of the structural variation within and among species, how this variation affects the function of organisms, and the corresponding ecological and evolutionary consequences. It will examine parallels between animals and plants, as well as the key functional differences that have led to the animal and plant sub-disciplines of functional ecology.Key topics will include:
- Trade-offs and life history theories
- The common currency of functional traits to enable comparison
- How traits are measured and how well they capture the key dimensions of functional variation
- Applications of functional ecology to the real world (invasion, conservation and restoration
applications).
This course includes a four day field trip. Additional costs are payable.

Functional ecology has become a prominent discipline within the field of ecological research. It has enabled more meaningful comparisons among species and systems across the globe, yielded important insights about ecological and evolutionary processes and deepened our understanding of the ecology of individual species. Despite its increasing importance and relevance, functional ecology is not currently covered in a comprehensive and holistic fashion in the ecology major, save for a handful of conceptual lectures in other courses. The proposed course will address this gap, and will also combine animal and plant ecology into a common, modern framework. Furthermore, the proposed field-based research component will be focused strongly on answering biological questions based on theory, rather than focusing on a particular ecosystem.

Course requirements

Recommended prerequisites

We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:

BIOL2006 or BIOL2106, BIOL2010

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Aims and outcomes

This course will explore the ecological strategies that animals and plants adopt to acquire resources, grow, survive and reproduce. It will provide students with an appreciation of the structural variation within and among species, how this variation affects the function of organisms, and the corresponding ecological and evolutionary consequences. It will examine parallels between animals and plants, as well as the key functional differences that have led to the animal and plant sub-disciplines of functional ecology. Key topics will include:

• Trade-offs and life history theories

• The “common currency” of functional traits to enable comparison

• How traits are measured and how well they capture the key dimensions of functional variation

• Applications of functional ecology to the real world (invasion, conservation and restoration applications)

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Practical worksheets

• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Practical/ Demonstration

Weight

10%

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L05, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submitted during practical

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Completed within practical

Late submission

A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.

None

Mid-semester Exam

• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

40%

Due date

10/09/2024

In class exam in person

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Exam details

Submission guidelines

In class

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

With doctors certificate or equivalent

Late submission

A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.

None

Project report based on field trip

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

50%

Due date

25/10/2024 4:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07

Task description

Submission guidelines

via Turnitin

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 21 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Doctors certificate or equivalent

Late submission

You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.

10% penalty of mark per day

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

• Students are required to achieve a mark of 50% on the field report, and an overall mark of 50% to pass the course.
• Students who achieve a mark of less than 35% on the field report will achieve a grade of 2 for the course (regardless of their total percentage for all assessments in the course).

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply.

 Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.

 If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.

 Supplementary assessment can take any form (such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes.

 To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment.

Additional assessment information

Applications for Extensions

Information on applying for an extension can be found here - my.UQ Applying for an extension

Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.

If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a Word document outlining why you cannot provide the documentation and upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.

Please note: While your extension request is being considered, you should work towards completing and submitting your assessment as soon as possible.

If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 4 weeks in a semester, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses. You might need to consider applying for removal of course. We strongly recommend you seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.

Extensions with Student Access Plans (SAP)

For extensions up to 7 days, your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, extension requests longer than 7 days (for any one assessment item) will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. A maximum of two applications may be submitted for any one assessment item, unless exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.

Turnitin submission

1. Access the Assessment folder on the course Blackboard site
2. Upload an electronic version through the assessment Turnitin site
3. You will be sent a receipt, retain the receipt as proof of submission.
4. If you don't receive a receipt then your assignment has not been submitted - please re-submit.

Unlike 1st and 2nd year courses, you can only submit your assignment through Turnitin ONCE - you cannot submit multiple times. Please make sure the final version of your assignment is submitted. The Turnitin site will open on the due date.

Failure to submit a hard and electronic copy on time will result in the late penalty (10% per day) being applied - you need to ensure that both the HARD copy and ELECTRONIC versions are submitted by the due date, late submission of either version will result in the late penalty being imposed.

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PLAGIARISM: You should be aware that the University employs purpose built software to detect plagiarism. It is very important that you understand clearly the practical meaning of plagiarism.

Students are encouraged to read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism policy (http://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.60.04-student-integrity-and-misconduct) which makes a comprehensive statement about the University's approach to plagiarism, including the approved use of plagiarism detection software, the consequences of plagiarism and the principles associated with preventing plagiarism.

DEFINITION OF PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting as one's own original work the ideas, interpretations, words or creative works of another. These include published and unpublished documents, designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, computer codes and ideas gained through working in a group. These ideas, interpretations, words or works may be found in print and/or electronic media.

EXAMPLES OF PLAGIARISM:

1. Direct copying of paragraphs, sentences, a single sentence or significant parts of a sentence;

2. Direct copying of paragraphs, sentences, a single sentence or significant parts of a sentence with an end reference but without quotation marks around the copied text;

3. Copying ideas, concepts, research results, computer codes, statistical tables, designs, images, sounds or text or any combination of these;

4. Paraphrasing, summarising or simply rearranging another person's words, ideas, etc without changing the basic structure and/or meaning of the text;

5. Offering an idea or interpretation that is not one's own without identifying whose idea or interpretation it is;

6. A 'cut and paste' of statements from multiple sources;

7. Presenting as independent, work done in collaboration with others;

8. Copying or adapting another student's original work into a submitted assessment item.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE USE (AI)

The assessment tasks in this course evaluate students’ abilities, skills, and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

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Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Other course materials

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.