Ecology – (M.Sc.)

Contents

Ecology is the study of the distribution and abundance of living organisms and how these are affected by interactions between the organisms and their environment. At one level, biotic and abiotic factors influence the population density of a species, which may cause it to become rare and to need protection or to increase in number until it becomes a pest, as occurs in arable farming and forestry.

The programme is aimed at those looking for a career in ecology or environmental monitoring. After an introductory course, the first year is composed of courses in population biology, ecological methods and landscape ecology and biodiversity. These provide a broad foundation on which to build an understanding of the mechanisms of populations change and the methods that can be used to investigate those changes.

All courses in the first year of study include field work and project modules, allowing students to deepen a personal interest in various aspects of ecology. A choice of specialist modules is offered during the final year. These include wildlife biology, insect ecology, conservation biology, botany and mycology.

The Master´s course concludes with a 20-week supervised research project. Troughout the course, equal emphasis is placed on theory and practise, so there are opportunities to study both in Sweden at Grimsö field station and on a foreign field trip.

Year 1

• Ecological concepts,

• Introduction to Masters study,

• Ecological methods,

• Applied population biology,

• Landscape ecology,

• Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, International Course,

Year 2

• Plants and fungi: species knowledge and nature conservation,

• Wildlife biology,

• Insect biology and diversity,

• Conservation Biology,

• Applied insect ecology,

• Independent project in Biology - Master´ thesis,