121-025 Biodiversity

25 points of first year subjects from: 121-010 Famine in the Modern World, 121-012 Environmental Change,121-013 Global Ecology and Biogeography, 600-141 Biology of Cells and Organisms, 600-142 Genetics & The Evolution of Life, 600-111 Biology of Australian Flora & Fauna or other appropriate subjects as approved by the subject coordinator.

This subject introduces students to genetic, species, ecosystem, and functional diversity; the scientific, economic, medical, moral and other arguments for maintenance of biodiversity; methods for estimating biodiversity; patterns of biodiversity in space and time; hypotheses to explain global, regional and local patterns of biodiversity; biodiversity loss; and national and international policy on biodiversity. On completion of this subject students should understand the reasons why maintenance of biodiversity is important; have knowledge of the global patterns of distribution of biodiversity; comprehend the major hypotheses proposed to explain global and local patterns of species diversity; be able to use a variety of quantitative methods to estimate levels of diversity; be aware of the processes leading to biodiversity loss, and of the Australian and international legislation, conventions and initiatives concerned with biodiversity conservation and exploitation.