6 ECTS credits
155 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 1010115ANR for all students in the 1st semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.
During HOC (the taught course) (1) the building blocks, biota, conditions and resources, trophic levels, guilds, social relations and community interlinkages etc. will be thoroughly discussed, theoretically as well as using practical, identifiable examples. Ecosystems will be 'unravelled' based on the desired analysis. A minimum of three current top articles concerning important ecological research (one in Dutch, one in English with supplied Dutch translation, one in English) can be read, the scientific terminology will be discussed and the articles' content will be looked at in class.
During the field trip (4 days to North-French department Pas-de-Calais, 'Site des 2 Caps', infralittoral to dune ecosystem) the (2) above analysis will be put into practice. Limits of ecosystems, biotopes, habitats, ecotones will be looked for (intertidal zone, dune succession,...), located biota will be assigned to trophic levels, not necessarily in this sequence (as it depends on the tides). The excursion may also be organized during holidays or weekends, since the dates depend on the tides and logistic constraints.
There will be use of identification literature and observations (acquaintance with dichotomous keys, with nomenclature, with differentiating characteristics, variability, areas, as well as with contradictions in information in literary sources), partially using living, fresh material, preceding field work.
We will also emphasize that data collecting, education and science in the field must remain justifiable towards the environment (no large-scale, pointless data collecting; non-destructive observation), particularly when sampling and studying living material.
During the practical current environmental issues will be dealt with interactively (linked to the excursion and to ecological themes). The problem of microplastics is an example.
One or two practical observation sessions (given ecological problem/hypothesis and autonomous development of observation and measuring strategy as a group) will take place in the field.
A visit to the marine centre Nausicaä (Boulogne s/Mer) will allow us to expand questions beyond the coastal area of temperate regions and to tackle a more comprehensive biogeographic and ecological overview using assignment lists and elementary self-tuition (in small groups).
Practicals take place in small groups and are geared towards the excursion to France as a central activity. First the excursion preparation takes place through identification of living and dead material from the site of the excursion. These will be observed and schematically placed into trophic webs. After the excursion observations and measurements will be analyzed and reported.
Illustrations (ppt) are available to students through PointCarré, articles to be read will be sent as a pdf file and are available from PointCarré.
A supporting text book (purchase strongly advised but not compulsory) is :
Begon M, Townsend C R & Harper J L 2005 Ecology. From individuals to ecosystems. Blackwell Scientific Publications. ISBN: 9781405111171, ISBN10: 1405111178 (or later, available editions).
During the course it will be clarified whether a more recent book can replace the earlier textbook:
Singer F, 2016 Ecology in action. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107115378.
Up-to-date literature is used during practicals and excursion.
Additional Information
For the excursion a financial contribution (approximately 200 € in 2018) will be demanded.
Competences
This course explicitly contributes to the following competences of the Biology curriculum:
General
- Developing the own learning process (I)
- Learning to work in a team (II)
- Analysing and synthetise the learning material (IV)
- Presenting and transfer the acquired knowledge (V)
Field specific
- Analysing a biological phrasing (VI)
The student successfully completing this course is able to dissect an ecosystem into its constituting parts, to correctly describe these parts in appropriate scientific terms and to investigate the links and relations between these parts and to present the findings and data.
The goal of the course is an analysis, a division and a categorisation of the ecosystem, (a) following a trophic and functional analysis, (b) following a spatial analysis (scale, limits and ecotones) and (c) following a taxonomical characterisation (this last element is less important and is merely a tool for searches on information of the species concerned).
This Ba1 course aims to make an ecosystem (or part of it) describable and measurable, by delineating and naming its components.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 50% of the final mark.
PRAC Practical Assignment determines 50% of the final mark.
Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the PRAC Practical Assignment category, the following assignments need to be completed:
The final mark will be based on two component marks : (1) effort and participation during the field trip (incl. the field trip report) for 50% and (2) the oral examination during the examination period for 50%, assuming that both components are > 8/20 (if not, the lowest mark out of both components will be overriding). The oral examination covers the material from the course, from the practical, from the excursion and the student report. The oral examination is preceded by some time for written preparation.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Biology: Default track (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Profile Profile Literary Studies
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: geografie (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: chemie (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: fysica (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: wiskunde (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: ingenieurswetenschappen (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Physical Education: standaard traject (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Movement and Sports Sciences: Afstudeerrichting sportbeleid en sportmanagement - profiel onderwijs (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Movement and Sports Sciences: Physical Activity, Fitness and Health Profile Profile Education (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Movement and Sports Sciences: Sports Training and Coaching Profile Profile Education (only offered in Dutch)