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Prerequisites:
BT2260 recommended
Assumed
knowledge: Introductory
biology
Subject Content:
This subject covers aspects
of the ecology of Australian closed forests and associated vegetation,
including origins, classification and factors determining distribution
and diversity, and responses to environmental stresses (including
global climate change). Dynamic features of rainforest vegetation
will be considered, including effects of disturbance, succession
and gap-phase regeneration; nutrient cycling, nutrient and water
conserving mechanisms; productivity, light climate and photosynthesis;
herbivory and plant defence mechanisms; phenology and seasonality
of rainforest plants.
Learning Objectives:
- to gain an understanding
of the ecology of rainforests, with emphasis on Australian communities;
- to provide fundamental
knowledge of how rainforest plants respond to the environments
in which they live;
- to develop an appreciation
of the factors which need to be considered in the conservation
and management of rainforests;
- to gain experience
in identifying rainforest plants and the basic techniques used
to describe vegetation and soils;
- to undertake a small
project designed to introduce students to research techniques
in an area of personal interest, providing them with an indication
of what is involved in honours or postgraduate research projects;
- to introduce students
to current rainforest research being undertaken in the school.
This course (particularly
through the project and practical work) is also designed to foster
the following generic skills: a coherent body of knowledge in a
disciplinary area; the ability to think, speak, write logically,
clearly and creatively; numeracy skills appropriate to the discipline;
information technology skills and application of those skills; the
capacity for critical thinking and analysis; interpersonal skills;
the ability to adapt new knowledge to new situations; skills and
motivation to pursue life long learning; and social and environmental
responsibility.
Assessment:
Assessment by a three-hour
examination (60%); project (30%); fieldwork and laboratory performance
(10%).
Contact hours:
33 hours lectures, 18
hours practicals, 6 days field work. Semester 2.
Text Books:
Full details for the
subject are presented in the subject manual:
- Congdon R.A. &
Holtum J.A.M. (2002) BT3280 - Rainforest Ecology and BT5280
- Ecology of Tropical Forests: Practical Manual and Lecture Supplement.
James Cook University Townsville.
For the first practical
and the field trips you will require a copy of:
- Jackes B.R. (2002)
Plants of the Tropics. James Cook University, Townsville
(available at the Bookshop).
There are three text-books
which complement this course (each has a different emphasis):
- Adam P. (1994). Australian
Rainforests. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Bowman D.M.J.S. (2000)
Australian Rainforests: Islands of Green in a Land of Fire.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Whitmore T.C. (1998)
An Introduction to Tropical Rain Forests. 2nd edition Clarendon
Press, Oxford.
All are available from
the bookshop, and copies have been placed on Closed Reserve in the
Library. Further reading is recommended from the extensive bibliography
included at the back of the manual.
Field
trips:
The field trips are a
significant part of the course and are, therefore, compulsory. If
it is impossible to attend the field trip due to poor health or
similar reasons, consult the lecturer in charge of the course. Under
these circumstances, permission may be given for the assessment
to be based upon a literature review in lieu of the field trip report.
- Early August - three
day trip to Paluma/Mt Spec - soil profile descriptions, plant
identification and community analysis; project planning.
- September - three
day trip to Kirrama and Broadwater State Forests - community analysis.
Time will be made available
during the field trips for project work.
Laboratory classes:
- Pract. 1:- Introduction
to keys for rainforest plant identification.
- Pract. 2:- Collation
of field data, project work.
- Pract. 3:- Collation
of field data, project work.
Projects:
As a major part of the
assessment, each student is expected to complete a small research
project on a topic related to the ecology of rainforest vegetation,
working in a small team of 2 to 4 people. The final topic should
be chosen after consultation with teaching staff about the project's
feasibility. A brief project plan (outlining aims, methods and equipment
requirements), is to be submitted early in August. The project report
should be written up (double spaced) in the style of a paper submitted
to the Australian Journal of Ecology (now Austral Ecology),
including a concise review of literature related to the topic, and
is due in early October. Each student must write their own version
of the report, although they worked in a team. Members of the team
are encouraged to place their emphasis on a different component
of the project.
Project results will
also be presented as a poster in the last week of semester. The
purpose of the poster is to let your fellow students know about
your project. Posters are becoming an increasingly important way
of presenting research results at scientific conferences, so this
exercise will give you some useful experience, as well as providing
a format for advertising your work to the general community during
University Open Days. It is in your own best interests to commence
the project as early in 2nd semester as possible, and to try to
complete it before October.
Important
Dates - 2002
- August 12th - Pract:
Introduction to rainforest keys for plant identification
- August 17th to 19th
- Field trip: Paluma/Mt Spec - plant identification and community
analysis
- August 26th - Project
proposal due
- August 26th - Pract:
Collation of field trip data, project work
- September 7th to 9th
- Field trip: Kirrama and Broadwater State Forests - community
analysis
- September 23rd - Pract:
Collation of field trip data, project work.
- October 7th - Project
report due
- October 28th - Poster
presentation
Contact
Details:
Subject
Co-ordinator:
Dr Bob
Congdon (Room 121, Phone: 4781 4731, Email: Robert.Congdon@jcu.edu.au)
Lecturers:
Tutor:
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BT3280:03
TROPICAL RAINFOREST ECOLOGY
Timetable & Lecture Notes
