SPECIAL NOTE:
this unit complements
KPA214 and
KPA215. It is highly recommended that students take both units.
OFFERINGS
Unit
Sem 1
Sem 2
Full Yr
Spring
Summer
Winter
KPA210
H
Key Semester Dates
Semester
Campus
Attendance
Note
Start Date
Census Date
Final WW Date*
End Date
Sem 2
H
On Campus
16-JUL-2012
10-AUG-2012
03-SEP-2012
20-OCT-2012
*The Final WW Date is the final date from which you can withdraw from the unit without academic penalty, however you will still incur a financial liability (see
Withdrawal dates explained for more information).
In this unit we examine the major natural vegetation communities in Tasmania & the key processes shaping them. We also introduce the major groups of land plants (excluding angiosperms) and consider the processes by which this diversity evolved. This level of understanding of the variety of plant communities & the forces shaping them is essential for appropriate land management, whether it be maintenance of natural vegetation for wilderness management & ecotourism or for sustainable forest production.
Theoretical topics include:
An overview of the Tasmanian environment
o Climate, geology, geomorphology & soils
o The role of fire in shaping the vegetation
Vegetation types of Tasmania
o Open and closed sclerophyll forests
o Coastal heath & buttongrass moorland
o Alpine vegetation
o Cool temperate rainforest
Introduction to the non-flowering plants of Tasmania
o Fungi
o Mosses & liverworts
o Ferns & conifers
Introduction to the vegetation of the past & origins of the Tasmanian flora.
Ecological variation within and between species, using the Tasmanian eucalypts as examples.
Practical component includes:
Experimental design, data collection, data analysis & interpretation; scientific report writing.
Introduction to the key characteristics for species identification of
o Tasmanian fungi
o Non-flowering plants
o Eucalypts
Introduction to palaeobotanical techniques (pollen & macrofossil identification)
Excursion to Mt Wellington during class time to examine clinal and ecological variation in eucalypts
WEIGHT:
12.5%
ASSESSMENT: theory exams (60%), practical assessment (40%)
Units are offered in attending mode unless otherwise indicated (that is attendance is required at the campus identified). A unit identified as offered by distance, that is there is no requirement for attendance, is identified with a nominal enrolment campus. A unit offered to both attending students and by distance from the same campus is identified as having both modes of study.
Campus - H Hobart, L Launceston, W Burnie. Study Centre - V Sydney, R Rozelle, P Beauty Point. Distance units may also have a campus identifier of I Isolated, N Interstate, O Overseas. Units delivered in Transnational Education (TNE) Programs have a campus identifier of A Hangzhou, F Fuzhou, G Shanghai, K KDU Malaysia, Q Kuwait or Y Hong Kong.
Special approval is required for enrolment into TNE Program units - campuses A, F, G, K, Q and Y click here for more information.
Web supported -
H
