606-311 Community and Ecosystem Ecology B (Lectures Only)

Note:

Credit Points:

Coordinator:

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Timetable:

Contact:

Objectives:

Students should gain an understanding of the structure and function of some major plant communities in Australia. By completion of this subject, students should:

• gain knowledge of autecology, plant community ecology and ecosystem dynamics;

• gain knowledge of factors determining the rates of productivity and nutrient cycling and of the dynamics of organic matter in plant communities;

• acquire knowledge of chemical analysis of soils and plants, and the numerical analysis of floristic and environmental data.

Content:

Vegetation and soils of natural ecosystems of Australia. Structure, floristics and dynamics of vegetation. Chemistry of forest soils, forest productivity and nutrient cycling. Techniques for quantitative analysis of vegetation data. Effects of competition and disturbance on community structure. Theories and models of community structure, dynamics and diversity.

Assessment:

Prescribed Texts:

• Groves R H, Australian Vegetation, 1981 Cambridge University Press.
• Attiwill P M and Leeper G W, Forest Soils and Nutrient Cycles, 1987 MUP.