Students will be taught the main theories and concepts of modern ecology, with the course structure following a hierarchy of biological scales from individuals to ecosystems. The most important aim of this course is to provide the fundamental knowledge that all of the subsequent ecology in the programme will build on. The course further aims to introduce students to practical methods of ecological research, and will help to develop students’ technical writing skills and ability to analyse ecological data By the end of the course, students would be able to: 1) Explain key ecological concepts and theories that apply at different levels of ecological organisation; for example, inter-specific competition and trophic cascades. 2) Critically analyse and interpret ecological data 3) Statistically analyse a dataset, and present and discuss your results in form of a written report 4) Apply ecological concepts to real-world environmental problems. The course will be assessed based on the following: 1) Final Exams (40%) 2) Written Assignment 1 (15%) 3) Written Assignment 2 (35%) 4) Group Paper Presentation (10%)

3AU

Semester 2

Shawn Lum

*Pre-requisite: BS1001, ES2003