Events

Date: 04.09.24
Start time: 10:00
End time: 13:00
Where: Online via Zoom

Overview

Ecology is the study of living things (including humans) and their relationship with the environment i.e., who is there, what are they doing, and why are they there. Ecologists particularly examine the distribution and abundance of organisms, spatially and temporally, to determine how the population changes and the impacts on the wider community and ecosystem.

Course content

This course will be delivered over Zoom. First, we will look at the definition of ecology, the different types of ecology and the branches of ecology, before moving on to the ecological hierarchy. Some of the principles and theories at the individual, population, community and ecosystems levels will be examined using case studies to illustrate their application in the natural world. Second, we will look at a case study examining the change in population numbers of some large mammals to illustrate how ecologists carry out research to answer questions they have about alterations in the natural world.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the session, attendees will be able to:

Define ecology and explain the three branches of ecology.
Discuss the ecological hierarchy and the broad themes for each level.
Demonstrate an understanding of some key ecological principles and theories at each level of the ecological hierarchy, and show their knowledge using case studies.
Illustrate their understanding of key ecological terms using published ecological case studies.

Who is the course for?

Anyone who has an interest in ecology and is looking for an introduction to the subject.

Course tutor

Bethan is a Professor in Ecology at the University of Glasgow. She has degrees in Zoology, Ecology and Agriculture. After her PhD she left academia and qualified as a secondary teacher of biology and science and taught in an all-through School for 9 years. She left the secondary education system to take up a lectureship at the University of Glasgow teaching ecology and subsequently created and led the BSc Environmental Science and Sustainability degree. Bethan is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, a Chartered Biologist and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Certification and Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

A certificate of attendance will be provided after the event. We evaluate all of our training events, to make sure that we maintain a high quality of training.

This event has been approved by the Royal Society of Biology for purposes of CPD and can be counted as 9 CPD points.

Fees

Members - £55 + VAT

Members of Member Organisations, SCAS members - £85+ VAT
Non-members - £110 + VAT

Non-members who have completed a membership application and made payment - £55 + 20% VAT - get in touch with training@rsb.org.uk to access this rate.

Contact

For further information about the course please contact Emily Lunn, training and registers officer, at training@rsb.org.uk or on 020 3925 3447.

Refunds

Unfortunately, the Royal Society of Biology is unable to offer refunds on training courses that have been attended. We do, of course, welcome and encourage any feedback from a course and will continue to improve the services we offer.

Terms and Conditions

By booking to attend this event, you are confirming you have agreed to the RSB's Terms and Conditions which can be found here.

You are here

Introduction to Ecology, Sep 2024