ZOOL328 Insect-Plant Interactions

Updated: 29 November 2018
Credit Points 6
Offering
Responsible Campus Teaching Period Mode of Study
Armidale Trimester 3 Online
Armidale Trimester 3 On Campus
Intensive School(s)

Intensive schools are for students enrolled in Online Mode only, unless specified in the notes.

Start Finish Attendance Notes
05 November 2019 08 November 2019 Mandatory Both on campus and online students must attend the Mandatory Intensive School.
Supervised Exam There is a supervised exam at the end of the teaching period in which you are enrolled. The paper-based exam will be held at an established exam venue, and coordinated by UNE Exams Unit.
Pre-requisites (STAT100 or MATH101 or MTHS110 or MTHS120) and ZOOL220
Co-requisites None
Restrictions ZOOL528
Notes None
Combined Units ZOOL528 - Insect-Plant Interactions
Coordinator(s) Nigel Andrew (nandrew@une.edu.au)
Unit Description

Insect-Plant Interactions will explore how insects interact with their environment, and their successful adaptation to many terrestrial ecosystems. Lectures and readings will explore the influence of evolution, plant traits and environment on insect behaviour, development and diversity. Interactions covered will include herbivory, pollination, predation, parasitism and competition among others. Applied issues to be explored include insect roles in ecosystem services, pest management, conservation and assessing impacts of climate change. Student outcomes will include an advanced understanding of the role insects play in ecosystems, grant writing skills, as well as laboratory and field experience. Students should note that this unit requires animal experimentation and/or dissection during some mandatory practical classes.
Materials Textbook information will be displayed approximately 8 weeks prior to the commencement of the teaching period. Please note that textbook requirements may vary from one teaching period to the next.
Disclaimer Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Assessment Assessment information will be published prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Learning Outcomes (LO) Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. communicate their theoretical and practical understanding of how insects interact with their environment;
  2. analyse the importance of evolution of both insects and the organisms they interact with in structuring current insect-plant relationships;
  3. implement appropriate methodologies for studying insect-relationships with other taxa;
  4. critically analyse scientific research in this field; and
  5. demonstrate professional research and report writing skills.