Population and Community Ecology

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Explain how populations grow, interpret their dynamics, and evaluate how life history strategies affect species survival and reproduction.
• Examine the ecological roles of symbiotic interactions and how community dynamics shape ecosystem structure and function.
• Describe and apply the different concepts and measures of biodiversity, and their relationship to ecosystem function.
• Understand the basic predator-prey and parasite-host models (Lotka-Volterra, Nicholson-Bailey) as well as the basic epidemiology model (S-I-R) and its relevance to disease dynamics.
• Understand the key aspects of trophic cascades and food webs.
• Why competition occurs, why predator-prey. interactions tend to cycle, and, generally, how heterogeneity stabilises species interactions.
• Interpret the role of animal movement in shaping metapopulation and distribution dynamics.

The module has three sections:

1. Population dynamics of animals, including population growth patterns and drivers, life tables and life history strategies, species distributions and animal movement.

2. Multi-species population dynamics, including interspecific competition and dynamics of species that use each other as a resource.

3. Community ecology, including species interactions, assembly and dynamics of ecological communities, and the importance of biodiversity and how to measure it.

Teaching and learning will involve lectures, computer practicals, use of ecological modelling software, small-group discussions.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.