university of liverpool ecology department guide 2011

7/28/2019 University of Liverpool Ecology Department Guide 2011

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ECOLOGYNicholson BuildingUniversityof LiverpoolT:+44(0)151 7945199F:+44 (0)1517945196E: [email protected]

www.liv.ac.uk

MEMBEROF THERUSSELL GROUP


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Aspart of theUniversitys ongoingcommitment

tothe environment,it hascreateda School

of EnvironmentalSciences,whichcovers all

aspectsof theenvironment,fromgeology and

oceanographyto terrestrial andmarinebiology,

physicalandhumangeography, andcivicdesign.

TheSchool providesstudentswitha large

choiceof coursesand theability togainmulti-

disciplinaryskills, essentialin todays jobmarket.

WHYCHOOSE ECOLOGYAT LIVERPOOL?World-leadingresearch.Liverpool hasalong historyof researchin ecologyandmarine

biology. This research is increasinglybeing

usedtosolveenvironmentalproblems.

Ourresearchintothe vulnerabilityofmarine

speciesand habitatsto fishingand coastal

developmentis used byBritishand European

government agencies suchas theDepartment

forEnvironment,FoodandRuralAffairs andtheInternationalCouncil forthe Explorationof

theSea to developsustainablemanagement

plans. Another hottopicwe arecurrently

studying is theimpactof burningupland

vegetationon ecosystemcarbonstorage,

waterquality andbiodiversity.

Excellentfacilities.Liverpool has investedheavilyin teaching facilities. TheBiology

TeachingCentrewas recently givea complete

refurbishment,and our custom-built research

vesselwasdelivered in 2009.In addition,

theUniversitys newCentralised Teaching

Laboratorieswill be openingin 2011.

Thenewbuilding,designed to be extremely

energyefficient,will offerhigh quality,

contemporary learningfacility which

willpromotemodularteachingand

interdisciplinary learning.

Friendlyand supportiveatmosphere.Allacademicstaff contribute to teaching. Field

coursesandprojects giveyou theopportunity

toworkinsmall groupswitha high ratioof staff

tostudents.All students have a personal tutor,

whooffersguidanceandsupportthroughout

your timeat university.

Fieldcourse opportunities.Fieldcoursesarean important partof ourteachingin all

yearsandcurrently includeWales, Scotland

andIreland. Therewill alsobe anoverseas

component. Fieldworkenablesour students

toreallygraspthe subjectmatter.

EcologyLiverpool was the first UK university to offer adegree in Marine Biology, and is an establishedleader in Ecology. The Department of Ecology is partof the new School of Environmental Sciences, andhas close links with other departments includingGeography, Earth and Ocean Sciences, andthe School of Life Sciences.

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ContentsIntroduction toEcology01Researchincontext04Aninvestment inyour future06Programmedetails08Applications andadmissions 12

Facultyof Science andEngineering> Schoolof EnvironmentalSciences> Ecologywww.liv.ac.uk/ecology


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WithprogressionfromLevel 1 toLevel3

thematerialcovered increasingly challenges

students to engage withcurrentdebates,

tothinkcritically andto study independently.

HOWYOU AREASSESSEDStudents areassessedby awidevariety of

methods, includingexams, essays,practical

reports, fieldnotebooks andpresentations.

HOWYOU LEARNTeachingstrategiesinclude amix of lectures,

tutorials, seminars,field classes,practicals

and individualwork undersupervision.

Tutorialsare typicallyin groupsof 6-8.On field

courses,mostwork isdonein groupsof about 4.

RESOURCESTheUniversityhas recently invested7 million

inmarineecology, which includesa new,

custom-built vessel,used forbothresearchand teaching.

KeyFacts

30first year undergraduatesstudying Ecologyin2010.40%

ofresearchactivitywas deemedworld leading or internationally

excellentwithanother45%internationallyrecognised.

7minvestedin marine ecology.

2010 APPLICATIONSNumberofplaces:30

Numberof applications: 145

RESEARCH (RAE 2008)For the2008ResearchAssessment Exercise,

theDepartment ofEcology wasin theSchool

ofBiological Sciences,where40%of research

activity wasdeemedworldleading or

internationallyexcellent, anda further45%

internationallyrecognised.ThenewSchool of

EnvironmentalSciences builds its teaching

around its research excellence.

Thereisagoodsupportstructureinthedepartment. Youcanreadthroughworkandrevisewithyour tutorgroupandfriendsyoushare lectureswith.Thereisasociety aswell, sothe socialaspect

iscoveredtoo.Ourtutorsarefantastic, theyre experts intheirfield,so youreceiveup-to-daterelevantinformation aboutwhatyouarestudying,butwhat Ireallyenjoythemostislearningaboutsomethingthatfascinatesme.

FRANCESCAFIXTERMARINEBIOLOGYBSC


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ResearchincontextThe University of Liverpool is a research-intensiveuniversity, and academic staff in the Ecologydepartment are leading researchers in their fields.What this means for you as a student is that yourlearning will be informed by the very latestdevelopments in the area.

An exampleof a currentarea of research in the

Ecologydepartment is withinMarineBiology

programmedirector, Dr LeonieRobinsons

research group,which is investigatingthe

settlementand recruitment ofthe invasive

barnaclespecies Elminiusmodestus using

AntonyGormleys Another Place an

installationof 100life-sizedcastiron statuespositionedatvarioustidalheights along 3 km

ofthe foreshoreat CrosbyBeach,Liverpool.

Early research fundedby theBritish Ecological

Societyrevealedthatthe distributionof the

barnacles couldbepredicted using factors

suchas heightabovesea level, exposure

level, aspectand topographiccomplexity.

TheGormleystatues provideda novelway of

exploring theinfluenceof such factorswhich

varyacross thedifferentpartsof thebody

(egthe chest versusthe inner thigh)and the

placementof thestatuesover thebeach

gives a range ofshoreheights.

Theteam is nowexploringadult density

effectson settlementusingthe statues in an

experimental field study. Thecues responsible

forsettlement of larvaehave beenextensively

studiedon nativebarnacle speciessuch as

Chthamalusmontagui, andare suggestedto

be relianton numerous biological, chemical,

andphysical factors. They arelesswellknownforthe invasivebarnacleE.modestusand

given theinterestin factorsaffectingspread

ofnon-nativespecies thisin animportant

research area.

Facultyof Scienceand Engineering> Schoolof EnvironmentalSciences> Ecologywww.liv.ac.uk/ecology


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AninvestmentinyourfutureOur recent graduates have gone on to a widerange of careers, including postgraduate researchon fish assemblages in mangroves, conductingenvironmentalsurveys forconstruction work,teachertraining, and working in an international bank.

QUALIFYING YOUFOR LIFEGraduatesfromourprogrammeswill

understand howecosystemsvary, andthe

natureof themajor threatsto sustainability.

Theywill be equippedto play leadingroles in

industry, research andpublicservices. They will

havetheskills toadaptand respond positively

to changing circumstances,have thecapacity

forindividual andteamwork andwill be life-

long learners.

RECENT EMPLOYERSABReadandAssociates(projectmanagement),

Babcock International(engineeringsupport

services),MerseycareNHStrust,TheWildlife

Trusts,TropicalBiology Association,Yorkshire

Cochlear ImplantService.Many ofourstudents

goon toMasters andPhDprogrammes at

Liverpool andelsewhere.

POSTGRADUATE OPPORTUNITIESMRes/MScConversation

andResourceManagement

MScMarinePlanningandManagement

MScEnvironmentalSciences

WORK EXPERIENCE OPPORTUNITIESSome ofour studentsworkin thedepartment

over thesummer, helpingwith research.

Recentareas includemarine intertidalecology,

grassland restoration,and dynamicsof coral

reefs.We alsoprovidecontacts andideas

forvolunteering,which helpsmany students

developtheir skills.

Graduate

P r o f i l e

I amcurrentlyworkingas anenvironmentaladvisor forBabcockInternationalGroupPLC.Mycurrentjobinvolves workingwithinconstruction-

specifically thepower grid-and advisingonkeyecologicalandenvironmental issuessuch asnestingbirdsandworkingnear protected species.My timeat

Liverpoolnotonlygavemetherequiredecologicalgrounding tosucceedin this fieldbutalso taughtmea numberof key skillswhichI use every day inmywork,suchascommunicationthroughpresentations,teambuildingandimprovingmydriveandmotivationasanindividual.Ihopethatinthe

future I canbecomea fully-fledgedecologistworkinginthefieldandmycurrentjobisteachingmeskillswhichwillhelpmereachthisgoal.

Throughoutmytimeatuniversitythestaffwithinthedepartmentwerealwayswillingtohelp,notonlywithassignmentsbut also toadvisemeinpotentialcareerpathsandhelpmeprepareforthefuture.

GEORGINA KINGECOLOGYAND ENVIRONMENT BSC(HONS),GRADUATED2009ENVIRONMENTALADVISOR, BABCOCK INTERNATIONALGROUP



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PROGRAMME CONTENTEcologyis at theheartof ourprogramme,

withcoreconcepts rangingfrom ecosystem

structure and function to population dynamics.

Thesefundamentalsare complemented

by applied topicsincluding urbanecology,

marineecology andmanagement,biodiversity

andconservationbiology, andnewcomputer

technologiessuch asGeographical

InformationSystems.

Foramore interdisciplinaryapproach, students

mayalso takemodulesfrom theDepartmentof

Earthand OceanSciencesand theDepartment

ofGeography, includingMarinePollution,Oceans

andClimate,and EnvironmentalChange.

Amajorstrength is theemphasison practical

and field-basedwork. In particular, students

take field workmodulesin allthreeyearsof

their degree. Somestudentsalsotake summermoduleswiththe Field StudiesCouncil in field

identificationof organisms suchas plants,

amphibians andreptiles,and bats, which give

themadditional skills for environmentalwork.

Degreesat a Glance UCAS C ode Page

Ecology and Environment BSc (Hons) C192 08

Marine Biology BSc (Hons) C160 11

Programmesofferedwith otherdepartments

Environmental Science BSc (Hons) F750 11

Programmedetails

Ecology andEnvironmentBSc (Hons)UCAS Code: C192Programme Length: 3 years

KeyContact: ProfessorRob MarrsE: [email protected]

Thereare at leasttwo compellingreasons

whyEcology andEnvironmentare important

subjects atdegreelevel.First, theworldis

facedwithprofound environmentaland

ecological challenges.Second,in response

tothis,employmentin theenvironmental

sector is currently healthyand growingfor

suitablyqualified graduates.OurEcology

andEnvironmentprogrammegivesstudents

a thoroughknowledgeof therelevantscience,

andpreparesthem foremploymentin the

environmental sector.

Year ThreeThereare threecompulsory courses

in thefinalyear:

Contemporary Issuesin Ecology

andEnvironment

HonoursProject Ecologyand

Environment/Marine Biology

AdvancedField Skills in Ecology

In addition, depending onyour individual

interests,you willchoose othermodules

focusing ontheory, field or laboratory studies,

rangingfromecology andconservationto

animal behaviour andfromoceandynamics

togeographical field courses.Wetailor

thefinalyears study toyour desiresand

ourexpertopinion ofwhatwillmake you

marketableas a graduate.

Youwill go on fieldcoursesin areassuch as

Ireland, Scotland andWestWales. Youwill

alsomakeshortvisitsto important ecological

sites, andto thesitesaffectedby industryin

theLiverpool region.There areopportunities

foradditionalresidentialfieldcourses atcentres

across theUK andoverseas(currentlyUganda).

Year OneThecore modulesare:

StudySkills andGIS

Introductionto PlanetEarth

Ecologyand Conservation

Human Impact onMarineEcosystems

QuantitiveBiology 1OR;

Mathsand Analysisfor Environmental

Sciences

Theseare supplementedby optional modules.

Year TwoThefollowing requiredmodules

aresupplementedwitha choiceof

complementarymodules:

StudySkills 2

PopulationEcologyand PestControl

Biodiversity PracticalSkills

Statistics forEnvironmentalScientists

AppliedGISandModelling

MarineResourceExploitation

UrbanEcology


Forfull entryrequirementsand currentmoduledetailsseewww.liv.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses


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Marine Biology BSc (Hons)UCAS Code: C160Programme Length: 3 years

KeyContact: Dr Leonie RobinsonE: [email protected]

As aMarineBiologist, youwill studymarine

organisms, frommicroscopicplanktonto giant

whales.Youwill learn about thebehaviour,

physiology,and ecology ofmarineorganisms,andhowmarinefoodwebsinfluenceglobal

warmingand fisheries. Appliedaspects ofthe

programme includepollution, conservation,

andaquaculture.We produceMarineBiologists

equippedwithknowledgeand skills thatmake

them employablein the21stcentury.

PROGRAMME CONTENTModernMarineBiology requiresa widerange

ofskills,from field work tomolecularbiology.

The first twoyearsof studyhelp youdevelop

these skills.Thereare field coursesin every

year. Every studenthas theopportunityto

do anoverseas study visitin thesummer ofthesecond year, forwhichpast destinations

includeAustralia, Tanzania,and Iceland.

Inthe final year, youwilltake advancedmodules

inyour areaofinterest,andspenda large

amountof timeworkingon a researchproject.

Recent projects includeusingmolecular biology

toidentify thesourcesof fishsoldin restaurants

andsupermarkets, investigatingphysiological

datafromtheAntarctic onhowpenguinsuse

their fatresourceswhile incubatingeggs,and

lookingat theeffect ofdecreasingpollution

levels onfish in theMerseyEstuary using our

new,purpose-builtresearchvessel.

Wehaveclose linkswiththeSchool ofLife

Sciences, theDepartmentof Earth andOcean

Sciences, and theDepartment ofGeography,

andour students have theoption ofchoosing

If youare interested in theenvironment

andrecognisethatthe solutions tofuture

environmentalchallengesaregoingto require

solutions fromacrosstraditionaldisciplines,

thenthe EnvironmentalScience degreeat

Liverpool is foryou.

PROGRAMME OUTLINEYou canchoosefrom awideselectionof

modules,dependingon your particular area of

interest. Some ofthe modulesare: ResearchandGIS skills;Ecology andConservation;

DynamicLandscapes;Climate, Atmosphere

andOceans;Town andCountryPlanning:

An introduction;Introductionto PlanetEarth;

Biodiversityof Animals;AppliedGISand

GeographicalModelling;Sedimentary

Processes andDepositional Environments;

Soilsand theEnvironment;Geomorphology;

Water andAir; Estuaries; AquaticEcology;

EnvironmentalSustainability;People,

ResourcesandTime;MarineResource

Exploitation;MarinePollution; Palaeobiology

andEvolution;UrbanEcology;Earthquakes,

Volcanoesand Society; Planning LawandGovernance; FluvialEnvironments;Coastal

Environments:Spatial andTemporal

Change;MarineEcologyand Management;

Geographical InformationSystems;Climate

Change ACriticalReview; Environmental

Economics.

TheEnvironmentalSciences degreeincludes

field classesin allthreeyearsof thecourse.

Practical andproject workare undertakenboth

individuallyand ingroups, andyouwilllearn

statistical procedures, computing techniques,

dataanalysisand presentationskills.

Year ThreeThereare two requiredmodulesthat are

required in thefinalyear:MarineBiology:

Contemporary IssuesandHonoursProject

Ecology andEnvironment/Marine Biology.

Thendepending on your individualinterests,

youwill chooseothermodules focusing on

theory, fieldor laboratory studies,ranging from

shoreecology tomicrobialphysiologyand from

molecular marinebiologyto workingat seaon

ourresearchvessel. Wetailorthe final years

study toyour desiresand ourexpertopinion of

what willmake youmarketable as a graduate.

Thecombinationof newlydevelopedmarine

andoceanographicfacilities at Liverpool,and

ourinterdisciplinary approachto biologyensures

that weproduce highqualitymarinescientists.

Degreesofferedwithother

DepartmentsEnvironmental Science (BSc)UCAS code: F750Programme length: 3 years

PROGRAMME INTRODUCTIONTheEnvironmentalScience degreescheme

provides awidebreadthof study opportunities

fromacross theSchoolof Environmental

Sciences. Itprovides youwith anopportunity

toeithertakea broad range ofmodulesthroughout thethreeyearsof youstudy, orto

tailor a degreewhichpicks andchooses from

themodulesavailable throughoutthe School.

modulestaughtby thesedepartments in each

year ofstudy. Subjectchoices includethose

relatedto climatechange andoceanphysics,

through to population ecologyand genetics.

TheMarine Biologydegree at Liverpoolis one

ofonly a handfulin the UKto beaccredited by

the Institute ofMarineEngineering,Science

andTechnology.The combinationof new

facilities, our century-longrecord ofmarine

research, andan interdisciplinaryapproachtobiology ensures that ourMarineBiology

graduates are highlyregardedandemployable.

Year OneThecore modulesare:

StudySkills andGIS

Introductionto PlanetEarth

Ecologyand Conservation

Human Impacton MarineEcosystems

QuantitiveBiology 1OR;

Mathsand Physicsfor Environmental

Sciences

Practical Skills forEcologists

Theseare supplementedby optional modules.

Year TwoThefollowing requiredmodules

aresupplementedwitha choiceof

complementarymodules:

StudySkills 2

AquaticEcology

MarineEcology FieldStudies

Statistics forEnvironmentalScientists

Physiology, Behaviour andGenetics

ofMarineAnimals

MarineBiology Practical SkillsMarineResourceExploitation




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The information thatfollows is a briefguide

toapplyingforprogrammesof studyattheUniversity ofLiverpool.For fulldetails ofour

applications andadmissionspolicy,please visit

ourwebsite atwww.liv.ac.uk/ug-admissions

MAKING AN APPLICATIONTHROUGH UCASYoumustapply for all full-timeprogrammes

onlinethroughUCAS, using theonline

application systemat www.ucas.comTheUniversityof Liverpool institution

codeis LVRPL L41.

WHENTO MAKEYOUR APPLICATIONForup-to-date informationpleasevisit

www.ucas.com

ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTSFor information onEnglishlanguageentry

requirementscontact the International

RecruitmentandRelations Teamon

T:+44(0)151 7946730orE: [email protected]

MATURE STUDENTS

Wewelcomeapplicationsfromcandidateswhoarenotapplyingdirectly from schoolor college,

whohave non-standard qualifications, orwho

wish tohaveworkor lifeexperience takeninto

account aspart oftheirapplication.Ouradult

learners come tous through a varietyof different

routes.Formoreinformationsee thewebsite

www.liv.ac.uk/maturestudents

STUDENTSWITH DISABILITIESWegive equal considerationto allapplicants

andwelcomeapplicationsfrom students

withdisabilities. Pleasecontact theDisability

SupportTeamon T:+44(0)151 7944714/5117/6676, Minicom:0151 7944713 orE: [email protected] todiscussyoursupportneedsbefore yousubmit yourUCASapplication.

DISCLAIMEREvery efforthas beenmadeto ensurethat

informationcontainedwithinthis brochure

is accurate atthe timeof goingto press.

However, thematterscoveredaresubject

tochange from timeto time, bothbefore

andaftera candidates admission.

Applicationsand admissions

FINDOUT MOREAccommodation: www.liv.ac.uk/accommodationFeesand finance: www.liv.ac.uk/moneyLifein Liverpool:www.liv.ac.uk/study/cityStudent support: www.liv.ac.uk/study/support


university of liverpool ecology department guide 2011

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