Why ecology and environment? 

As the human population continues to grow, the natural environment is put under ever-increasing pressure. Losses of biological diversity and major environmental changes are occurring at an accelerating rate and as a direct result of human exploitation of resources. Growing public concern over issues such as degradation and destruction of coral reefs and tropical rain forests, greening of the Arctic and accelerated loss of Arctic sea ice, species extinctions and the impacts of global climate change make ecology, conservation and environmental sustainability some of the most relevant areas of science today. It is also essential to understand how ecology fits in the context of addressing key sustainable development challenges, where there is a need to reconcile economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. The need to find solutions means that there is a growing demand for professional ecologists who will have a key role to play in protecting the environment for future generations. 

Successful action on conservation and biodiversity issues should be based on a good understanding of the ecological processes and relationships that are impacted by environmental change. Key questions include: 

• How quickly and where are environmental and climatic change leading to ecological change? 
• What makes some species and habitats more vulnerable than others? 
• What are the implications of increased ecotourism for tropical and polar ecosystems? 
• How can we reconcile the resource requirements of a growing human population with the need to conserve species and ecosystems? 

The study of ecology and environment is fundamental in answering these and many other questions posed by practical conservation and biodiversity issues. 

Evolution of Biodiversity

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 1

Most biologists specialise in some aspect of either molecular or organismal biology. Evolution unites these approaches, emphasising their inter-relation.

Firstly, much of molecular biology only makes sense in the light of organismal biology (i.e. behaviour, ecology, etc.). Secondly, many problems in organismal biology can only be solved by understanding Molecular Biology. Hence Theodosius Dobzhansky's boast that "nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution".

This module covers the ideas you need for later modules and encourages you to critically assess evidence for yourself. You might even agree with Dobzhansky when he says that "I am a creationist and an evolutionist!"

Genetics and Ecology

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 1

A striking feature of biodiversity is its nested hierarchical structure, including  genes, cells, organisms, groups, populations, communities, ecosystems, biosphere and Gaia. Each level in the hierarchy can be described by its lower levels, but also has emergent properties. This raises a question: at which level does selection act (i.e. produce adaptations)? Often this produces a Necker's cube situation: e.g. is some feature best viewed from the gene's point of view or the whole organism's? This module concentrate on levels of life's hierarchy above single cells, culminating in the Gaia hypothesis: organisms and their inorganic surroundings form a complex system maintaining Earth for life.

Molecular Biology

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 1

This module will introduce you to fundamental concepts in cell and molecular biology.

Some of the topics covered are: cell biology (including cell diversity, cellular organelles, the cytoskeleton, biomembranes, intercellular communication and the cell division cycle); the structure and function of proteins and enzyme action (including the properties of proteins, protein conformation and its relation to biological activity, protein folding and denaturation, and the molecular basis of enzymic activity); nucleic acids and chromatin structure (including secondary and tertiary structures of nucleic acids and nucleoprotein complexes, and DNA replication); an introduction to gene expression (including gene structure, transcription in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, mRNA processing, genetic code and the effect of mutations); an introduction to gene regulation (including the regulation of DNA by histone modification, transcriptional regulation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, alternative pre­mRNA splicing, regulatory RNAs, RNA interference, translational regulation, and the post­translational modification of proteins).

There are also laboratory classes in subjects such as microscopy, cell biology, determination of protein concentration, spectrophotometry, nucleic acid isolation, and gene regulation in bacteria.

Neuroscience and Behaviour

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 1

The module deals with nervous and hormonal bases for sensory perception and behavioural action by humans and other animals.

You will be introduced to the basic components of the nervous systems: neurons, synapses and neurotransmitters, and learn how neurons transmit signals and processes information. You will also cover specialisation of the cerebral cortex, looking at lateralisation and language, as well as sensory processing and perception, exemplified by the visual pathway from the eye to specialised feature detectors in the cortex. Finally, lectures on feeding deal with neural and hormonal controls in behaviour.

Quantitative and Analytical Skills

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 1

This module provides you with essential skills in quantitative and analytical methods, enabling you to evaluate different types of numerical data in human and physical geography. Topics include essential maths, trigonometry, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, least squares regression, mechanics and modelling.

Each week a generic lecture introduces a particular topic and this is supported by practical-based workshops in which you gain experience in these skills. The workshops are based on exercises related to the substantive content of the modules of Geographies of Development and Inequality (for BA Geographers) and The Natural World 2 (for BSc Geographers). To provide intellectual coherence, you will be placed in workshop groups based upon your degree programme.

Study Skills in Geography and Ecology

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 1

This module provides you with training in basic study skills for degree-level work. Topics include organisation, data resources, critical writing, referencing, critical thinking and reading, presentations, visual representation of data, GIS and maps, remote sensing.

Each week a generic lecture introduces a particular study skill and this is supported by practical-based workshops in which you gain experience in these skills. The workshops are based on exercises related to the substantive content of the modules of Place, Space and Landscape (for BA Geographers) and The Natural World 1 (for BSc Geographers). To provide intellectual coherence, you will be placed  in workshop groups based upon your degree programme. A residential fieldtrip also takes place, currently in the village of Alfriston, in the South Downs.

The Natural World 1

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 1

This interdisciplinary module provides you with a foundation for studying physical geography and ecology. After introducing systems theory and major evolutionary and ecological questions, it considers geology (Earth structure and composition, continental drift, plate tectonics, geological time), setting a framework for studying macro-evolution (patterns and processes, history of life, major extinctions and radiations, historical biogeography). This is followed by an introduction to earth system science, focusing on the hydrosphere and biosphere, and leads into macro-ecology, where we discuss local to global patterns of biodiversity, factors controlling species distribution and abundance, biogeography.

The Natural World 2

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 1

This module follows directly on from the Natural World 1. Continuing the theme of earth system science, it discusses the atmosphere and cryosphere and their links, through global biogeochemical cycles, to other earth systems. Environmental processes and change (e.g. climate forcings and feedback) lead into a consideration of population ecology (population growth, regulation, conservation and species interactions), community ecology (trophic structures and food webs, biodiversity, ecosystem services) and applied ecology (harvesting, conservation biology, habitat fragmentation and ecological restoration).

Animal and Plant Diversity

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

This module provides an introduction to plant, fungus and animal diversity. The lecture series covers the biology, life histories, ecology and evolutionary relationships of the main groups of plants, fungi and animals. Lecturers will bring a bucket of relevant specimens to each session, so that you get to see and handle them. In general, the module explores plant and animal diversity from a functional rather than systematic point of view. As such, the module includes a week-long residential marine biology course based in Scotland that aims to convey an appreciation of how the various marine groups interact and contribute to the functioning of the overall system.

Conservation Biology 1

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

After an introduction to the major threats to global biodiversity, the module will explore a series of broad conservation themes. The first half will focus on the species level, exploring some of the particular threats faced, why species become rare and endangered, and what measures can be taken to halt or reverse population declines and how populations of threatened species can be restored. The module then adopts a habitat and ecosystem focus, working up from a consideration of specific habitats and their management to a landscape approach and exploring methods for repairing damaged habitats and ecosystems.

Conservation Biology II

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

The module follows logically from the Conservation Biology I module taught in Term 1. It starts with an in-depth consideration of the major threats to world biodiversity that were first introduced in Conservation Biology I. It then considers the national, European and international system of conservation designations and their associated legal framework. After a consideration of how modern molecule genetics can be used to clarify and address various conservation issues, the module finishes with considering how people and wildlife interact, both positively and negatively, and how emergent conflicts can be resolved.

Environmental Research Skills (E&C)

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

This module will provide all BSc Geography, and BSc Ecology, Conservation and Environmental Policy (ECEP) students with many of the skills they will need for their final year research projects. The module will be delivered by lectures and workshops. Each week a generic lecture will introduce a particular study skill and this will be supported by practical-based workshops in which you will gain experience in these skills. The workshops will last up to 4 hours and will cover an array of environmental research topics.

Geographical Information Systems

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

This module is designed to introduce you to the various components that constitute a Geographical Information System (GIS), while providing you with practical skills in using these tools. Using leading GIS software, you will gain direct experience of a range of data collection and input, database, analytical and visualisation techniques. These will include:

• georeferencing
• vector/raster integration
• and data classification.

This methodology will be illustrated through a range of social and environmental applications, emphasising its decision-assisting potential and looking at some real world examples from the fields of disaster management and development.

Introduction to Sustainable Development

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

This module aims to provide an understanding of the principles of sustainable development and, in particular, an introduction to the role of science and technology in contributing to key sustainable development challenges. We explore the origins of the concept of sustainable development and the core ideas that underpin it. We examine the ways in which sustainable development is interpreted by different interest groups, along with the assumptions made and the contradictions that arise. These ideas are illustrated through a series of contemporary case studies, which highlight efforts to address sustainable development challenges from the local to international, and examine the role of science and technology within these contexts.

Resource Management

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

This module provides an introduction to the principles of the management of natural resources in the industrialised and developing world. It helps students to understand and describe major components of resource management problems and how to use this knowledge to explore practical resource management issues. It analyses competing priorities and value judgments in natural resource management and human pressures on resources due to population, social and economic demands. It explores the economics of major resource problems in land use, agriculture, forestry, recreation, conservation, and in fresh and salt waters, and examines the role of the ecology alongside other disciplines in addressing the key resource management challenges.

Evolution and Behaviour

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

The module will take you from the evolution of mutations in populations through to how evolution affects whole organisms, and in particular the behaviour of non-human animals. The first part of the module will cover the basics of population genetics, what mutations do to organismal fitness and how they can be used to infer the process of evolution. The second part of the module will introduce key concepts and methods for studying the evolution of animal behaviour, such as optimization modelling and game theory, then apply them to specific areas such as foraging, animal contests, and social behaviour.

Global Climate Change

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

This module takes an interdisciplinary view on the scientific basis of claims of global climate change, the human responsibility and the future implications of the change. In doing so it is largely based around theoretical and evidence based elements of climate science. Half of the module is dedicated to providing a sound basis for undergraduate level critical understanding of the science of contemporary climate change for the present-day and in the future. The other half provides the foundations for a critical understanding of the basis of future climate impacts.

Advances in Climate Sciences

30 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module is an introduction to climate science with particular focus on climate feedbacks, climate observations, climate variability and climate analyses. The module will highlight the major challenges in climate sciences (e.g. global carbon cycles and aerosols), and significant climate phenomena, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Practical sessions will enable you to gain hands-on experience in creating climate analysis and statistical plots using real-life data from climate observatories and outputs from existing climate models.

Animal-Plant Interactions

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module examines the impact of social, economic and technological transformations on people, the environment and ecology in the Tropics. A wide temporal perspective will be adopted incorporating historical perspectives, present day impacts and future scenarios. The module will also compare local and international perspectives on wildlife, ecotourism and environmental protection. You will cover, amongst other topics:

• the continuing impact of colonisation
• sustainability in marginal environments
• the roles of indigenous environmental knowledge
• intellectual property rights
• and biotechnology.

Coastal Processes and Coastal Management

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module introduces you to the range of coastal processes and explores corresponding coastal management strategies. Coastal processes studied include:

• waves,tides and sea level rise
• sediment sources and dynamics
• and the geomorphology and ecology of the world's soft and hard coastlines.

The module also examines global strategies for shoreline management, including:

• coastal hazards and their mitigation
• coastal engineering
• planning for rising sea levels
• and managing human use and occupancy of coastal environments.

Conflict & Cooperation in Social Groups

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

Conflict and cooperation cuts across the whole of biology and can be studied among genes or among organisms, in societies of micro-organisms, animals and humans, and also in multi-species mutualisms. It is relevant both in the origin of life and in modern-day organisms and societies. The module focuses on factors affecting the balance between conflict and cooperation in human society, vertebrate societies including primates and cooperative breeders, mutualism partners, and genes within organisms. There are eight lectures followed by six two-hour seminars covering research papers in a single area. In the first of these seminars the research papers are presented by the faculty, and in the others by you and your coursemates.

Conservation in Practice

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

The module aims to:

• familiarise students with the management practices required to maintain key habitats in western Europe, and with conservation issues concerning specific groups of organisms in those habitats
• examine issues in practical conservation at the level of NGOs, governments and society in general
• introduce students to professionals currently working in conservation, in order to give them a realistic idea of what the work involves, as well as an indication of employment opportunities.

The module will consist of a combination of lectures, seminars by internal and external guest speakers and field visits to local nature reserves for demonstrations of practical conservation management and survey techniques.

Environmental History - Landscape and Archaeology

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

We live in a world which has been shaped by human hands. This module will start with an introduction to the techniques of environmental reconstruction and environmental archaeology and then look in detail at the development of the British landscape over the last 10,000 years. Where appropriate, information from other temperate areas will be considered, such as: Western Europe, North America and the Atlantic islands.

Geography Thesis

30 credits
Autumn & spring teaching, Year 3

During your final year, you are required to prepare a study to illustrate their ability to design and implement an empirical investigation in geography. The Geography Project entails the collection and analysis of primary data. You will have been given instruction in specific techniques of collecting and handling data and primary source material as well as advice on the presentational format required in the Level 2 module Research Skills, and will be given individual supervision in the design, conduct and writing up of your project throughout your final year.

Life Sciences Final Year Research Project

30 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This is an individual research project involving the investigation of a biological problem or phenomenon using experimental procedures, or the investigation and evaluation of a medical condition, intervention or treatment using literature-based methods, in addition to patient feedback where possible. You will obtain data and information from either laboratory or field-based experiments; from work performed in silico, or from literature-based research.

Modern Human Evolution

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

Modern humans started to spread from Africa about 100,000 years ago. This module includes investigation of the evidence we have for their subsequent evolution in terms of phylogeography, morphology and archaeology. This is related to general questions about evolutionary response to environmental factors such as disease and climate as well as looking critically at what we can deduce about past cultural evolution. The module concludes by considering human evolution in the present.

Past Lives

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module examines how extinct species of animals made their living, how they moved, what they ate and what ate them and what sort of social lives they may have led. To do this, the module brings together techniques for environmental reconstruction, the use of comparative evidence from living organisms plus a good dose of controlled imagination. After an introduction to the relevant techniques, the module will use a case study approach to selected species from the Mesozoic to the end of the Pleistocene, including:

• T. rex and other dinosaurs
• Mammoths
• sabre-toothed cats
• and some hominins, but not any members of Genus Homo.

Permafrost and Environmental Change

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

The module examines aspects of polar regions from an interdisciplinary perspective, linking elements of physical geography, geology, permafrost science and glaciology. The aim is to provide you with a framework of knowledge and understanding of polar regions and processes from which you can summarise and critically evaluate some of the methods, hypothesis, theories and data about polar regions. You will develop knowledge of spatial variation of physical phenomena in the polar regions and understand how environmental change operating on a range of timescales affects the region.

Social Insects

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

The eusocial insects comprise approximately 20,000 species of ants, termites, bees and wasps. Eusociality in these groups has evolved 20­-100 million years ago on approximately 10 occasions and has given rise to highly ­organized societies with up to 20 million individuals. Eusocial insects are of great economic and ecological importance. They are also key model systems in many important areas of biology.

The module is divided into several parts:

1) general background material on social insects, focusing in greater detail on four contrasting areas in which research on social insects is particularly active

2) inclusive fitness theory and relatedness

3) how insect societies are organised

4) another special topic relevant to social insect biology, such as mutualisms and symbioses involving social insects; the ecological importance of social insects; the evolution of eusociality in insects; or using social insects to investigate sensory physiology (topics will vary each year)

There will also be two laboratory sessions from a range including: the honey bee waggle dance, nestmate recognition and guarding in honey bees, organisation of ant trail systems, and reproductive queueing in Polistes wasps.

Tropical Rainforest Science (Field trip Ecuador)

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

The Tropical Forest Science field module is based at the Santa Lucia Cloud forest Reserve in NW Ecuador. The field station and laboratory were established by the University of Sussex to provide the opportunity for you to gain expertise in tropical plant, invertebrate and vertebrate taxonomy. Following an introduction to the wildlife and plants of the region you undertake your own fieldwork project to investigate the unique flora and fauna of this biodiversity hotspot.

Tropical Rainforests: Biogeography and Conservation

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

The module aims to develop an understanding of tropical rainforest (trf) ecosystems and the consequences of their great antiquity, present rapid destruction and uncertain future. You will examine and evaluate the many hypotheses attempting to explain the astonishing species richness of trfs and explore their complex ecological organization. Sustainable use of trfs is contrasted with their ever-increasing destruction by peasant farmers, timber companies, cattle ranchers and other commercial interests. You will learn about the impact of trf destruction on world climates, global biodiversity, and natural resources. Future prospects for conservation and management are assessed, including less damaging methods of timber harvesting, ecotourism, the potential of a new 'carbon market' (REDD++) and the role and contribution of scientist and international conservation organisations. The coursework and seminar series associated with the module will introduce skills of practical use to you if you decide to follow a career within conservation - the main focus being the development of an original grant proposal to the Royal Geographical Society.