Handbook

Plant ecology is a course where students will explore and challenge key concepts in ecology. Students will also conduct their own research in ecology. The course is not lecture based – rather, weekly meetings will be based on class discussions facilitated by the lecturers. We focus on training students on critical thinking and communicating ideas. Topics include: plant-animal interactions, biological invasions, the effects of human disturbances on communities, plant reproduction and regeneration, and the evolution of ecological strategies. We incorporate evolutionary, population and community approaches to ecology, and include examples from Australia and around the world. While the focus of much of the course is on plants, the concepts we explore extend to all organisms.

A five-day field excursion during the mid-session break is compulsory and will involve expense to individual students.