| CODE | EMP1010 | ||||||||||||||||
| TITLE | Earth's Living Systems | ||||||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Environmental Management and Planning | ||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will introduce students to ecological sciences relevant to issues relating to environmental management. The various levels of biodiversity (genetic, species, ecosystems) will be explained and defined, with explanations of interdependencies between abiotic and biotic environmental components. Key regulatory environmental variables such as temperature and water will be outlined, together with explanations of critical nutrient cycles. Species population dynamics will be explained, including aspects of genetics, growth, distribution and abundance. The study-unit will also describe the various types of interactions that take place between organisms, including competition, predation, herbivory, parasitism, mutualism and commensalism. Energy flows taking place within ecosystems will be discussed, including aspects of productivity in ecosystems and trophic levels, and the ways in which these determine the functioning of food webs. These various components will provide a basis for an understanding of natural selection and evolutionary processes. Students will also be given an overview of global ecology and a basic understanding of the different biomes which characterize the planet. Students will also be introduced to the science of taxonomy. Finally, students will be given a basic introduction to the major concerns relating to the status and functioning of the planet's biodiversity in the present day. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit aims to: - Enable students to understand the components, processes and functioning of ecological systems; - Demonstrate how ecological systems underpin the survival of all life on Earth, including human life; - Introduce students to the geographical distribution of different ecosystem types; - Build students' awareness of the various threats to global biodiversity; - Develop students' appreciation of how the various Earth systems (e.g. climatic, geological) link together and depend on each other. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Define and explain the various levels of biodiversity; - Define and explain the various types of interactions that may take place between organisms; - Describe the functioning of key nutrient cycles; - Explain the processes of natural selection and evolution; - Describe the characteristics of the major biomes which are present on Earth. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Distinguish between different levels of biodiversity; - Have a clear understanding of species within a broader ecological context of both abiotic influences and biotic interactions; - Illustrate key interactions that take place between living biota and abiotic environmental components; - Geographically locate the major biomes which are present on Earth; - Appraise the present health and functioning of global biodiversity; - Prepare specimens for taxonomic purposes; - Use taxonomic keys to identify a selection of species. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Tyler Miller, G., Spoolman, S. E. (2015). Essentials of Ecology, 7th edition. Cengage Learning. ISBN: 978-1285197265. |
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| RULES/CONDITIONS | In THE SAME YEAR AS TAKING THIS UNIT YOU MUST TAKE EMP1016 | ||||||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Fieldwork and Lab Sessions | ||||||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Louis Francis Cassar Ricci Jean Marc Pace |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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