Cell Biology

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 1

This module covers the fundamentals of cell structure and function. The module begins with a comparison of procaryotic and eucaryotic cells, and then proceeds with a systematic dissection of a eucaryotic cell with modules on the nucleus, membrane architecture and permeability, the secretory apparatus, origin and function of mitochondria and chloroplasts and their role in metabolism, the cytoskeleton, the cell cycle, and the extracellular matrix and cell adhesion. Emphasis will be placed on the role of key proteins in regulating specific cellular functions and on experimental techniques used to study cellular processes.

Essential Skills in Life Sciences

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 1

The aim of this module is to discuss the structure, synthesis, secretion and metabolic effects of the major classes of hormones such as insulin, glucagon, thyroid hormones, glucocorticoids, sex steroids, the renin-angiotensin system, growth hormone and prolactin. Emphasis will be placed upon how imbalances in the synthesis and secretion of these hormones leads to disease states, their symptoms and treatment (e.g. diabetes mellitus, Addisons Disease, Cushing's Syndrome, Grave's disease, hypothyroidism, acromegaly and dwarfism, hypertension).

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.

Human Physiology

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 1

An introduction to homeostasis, physiological mechanisms and control in humans and other mammals. This module deals with circulatory and respiratory systems, fluid balance and kidney function, digestion and feeding. The approach to regulation and control uses hormonal signalling as a unifying principle, with several negative feedback examples. Furthermore, some case studies are explored such as exercise related cardiovascular and respiratory changes, diabetes as a break-down of control and regulation, and satiety mechanisms and obesity.

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.

Research Methods for Biology

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 1

The use of statistics allows us to form a quantitative understanding about experimental or observational data and the information we can extract from it. It allows us to make clear statements about the data in a form that can be understood by other scientists. Ultimately, it gives a rigour and clarity to our analysis of experimental or observational data.
An essential aspect of the course is getting experience by solving problems and actually calculating quantities from data. Such experience only comes about from practice and since we are dealing with a highly numerate subject, the details are very important.

A fundamental part of science is asking questions. This leads to a process of inquiry. The results then need to be analyzed and the significance of the results assessed. This is generally done by various statistical methods of course, but looking at how data is represented or misrepresented is also instructive.
The interpretation of findings is a very difficult area, such as can be seen in the climate change debate.
Even if all scientist agreed on exactly how much of the climatic changes we are observing is due to human activities, what in the data can tell us what to do about it?
Where do the questions come from? Observation. Curiosity. Enquiring minds. Then formalizing the questions and come up with an established and/or interesting and/or useful and/or innovative way of approaching a solution.
Field work is an essential and exciting part of biology, and this module will give you a good introduction to it.

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.

Cell Regulation and Cancer

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

The module aims to introduce students to the mechanisms by which cell metabolism and growth is regulated in normal and diseased states, focussing on cancer. It will cover cell regulation at the level of single cells and the body as a whole and will discuss the major signal transduction pathways used by hormones, neurotransmitters and growth factors to control cell growth and metabolism in the normal state and also the use of pharmacological agents to discriminate between receptor subtypes. This will lead to a discussion of how loss of control of these signaling pathways by the generation of oncogenes or changes in tumour suppressor genes leads to alterations in the cell cycle and the development of cancer. The difference between normal and transformed cells, the altered signal transduction mechanisms and the epidemiology, incidence and mortality in different cancers are reviewed.

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.

Developmental Biology

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

How does an adult organism arise from a fertilized egg? This module presents the concepts and principles that are rapidly emerging from studies of developmental processes in animals.

Topics to be discussed include egg organisation and origins of cell differences, molecular mechanisms of cell differentiation, cell movements and inductive interactions, long-range signalling mechanisms, the cellular and molecular processes underlying pattern formation, and the evolutionary conservation of developmental mechanisms in different phyla.

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.

Genetics and Genomics

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

This module will cover aspects of both classical and molecular genetics. Starting from the basic principles of Mendelian inheritance and meiosis the concepts of genetic linkage, recombination and mapping will be introduced. How the understanding of these processes can be used in the analysis of human disease traits will be discussed in detail. The module will then move onto looking at the structure of genomes, again with an emphasis on the human genome and how changes to this structure can relate to human disease. Finally the module will build on the basic molecular genetics covered in the level 4 molecular biology module to describe the advanced techniques now being used to analyse and manipulate genomes.

Human Evolution: Palaeontology to Culture

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

Study of comparative anatomy, comparative behaviour and the fossil record shows how our history is embedded in that of the other primates, particularly the other apes. The module surveys the "fossil story" from the first bipeds to the appearance of anatomically modern humans. In addition the cultural record of, primarily, stone tools is examined for evidence of behavioural change. The evolutionary ecology of hominins moves from foraging to hunting and gathering to agriculture and archaeological methods are described briefly with particular emphasis on how we can understand these transitions. The human niche is primarily a cultural one and the module will conclude by looking firstly at how culture as a variable, heritable entity can be considered in Darwinian terms and secondly at what can be deduced about the evolution of language in humans.

Mediterranean Ecology and Behaviour Field Course

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

Neural Circuits

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

This module will teach you about neural mechanisms generating animal behaviour. The level of analysis emphasises types of behaviour that can be understood in terms of underlying neural circuits or specific structures with well­ known neural architectures within the brain.

Topics covered include:

• organisation and modulation of central pattern generator (CPG) circuits
• advanced techniques for monitoring and manipulating neural circuits
• modelling of neural circuits
• sensory and motor functions of spinal cord circuits
• brain circuits underlying motor control
• circuits underlying non-associative and associative learning
• addiction and learning circuits
• defects in circuits
• development of neural circuits

Plant Science and Technology

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

This module first looks in detail at how plants sense their environment (plant growth regulators), take up nutrients (ion transport and membrane properties) and photosynthesise (carbohydrate synthesis, phloem translocation and sink tissue metabolism). The module then focuses on the molecular biology of plants, and topics covered include compartmentation of plant DNA, plant gene expression, and the plant genome. This leads onto lectures on plant genetic manipulation and the application of such technologies.

Principles of Neuroscience

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

In the first half of this module we will study in detail how plants sense their environment (plant growth regulators), take up nutrients (ion transport and membrane properties) and photosynthesise (carbohydrate synthesis, phloem translocation and sink tissue metabolism). We will then focus on the molecular biology of plants, and topics covered will include compartmentation of plant DNA, plant gene expression, and the plant genome. This will lead on to lectures on plant genetic manipulation and the application of such technologies.

Structural Basis of Biological Function

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

This module builds on the topics of protein structure and function relationships introduced by first year modules Fundamentals of Cell and Molecular Biology and Biological Chemistry. Topics covered will include:

• an introduction to protein structure and folding
• the methods used to determine high-resolution protein structures
• protein superfamilies
• the functional properties of enzymes
• the methods of analysis for exploring enzyme mechanism
• how enzyme properties can be modified by protein engineering techniques to produce new enzymes with desirable properties, illustrated using a case study of subtilisin
• the specificity of small molecule enzyme interactions, illustrated using an example of rationale drug design
• the role of proteins as transducers of mechanical energy, explored by considering the role of actin and myosin in muscle contraction.

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.

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 Vocal Communication

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

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.

Bio-organic Chemistry

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

The aim of the module is to describe the unifying biosynthetic principles which underlay the diverse structures of natural products and to show the relevance for the primary structures of proteins to their shape and to the catalytic properties of enzymes. To introduce a basic set of chemical transformations applied in the chemical synthesis of the major classes of biomolecules such as nucleic acides, peptides and glycans.

Cell Signalling and its Applications in Therapeutics and Disease

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

The aim of this module will be to discuss the major signalling pathways in cells and how perturbations of these can result in disease processes such as hypertension, cancer, gigantism, cholera, secretory diarrhea, polycystic kidney disease and septic shock. The module will demonstrate how a knowledge of these pathways has led to the design and use of specific pharmacological agents to target these pathways for therapeutic intervention. The signalling pathways covered will include Ca2+, cyclic nucleotides, nitric oxide and guanylate cyclase, MAPK kinase pathways, PI-3-kinase and PKB, Jak/Stat pathways and integrins.

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.

Development of the Nervous System

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

The human adult nervous system consists of a wide range of specialised cell types that make up the brain, central and peripheral nervous system, as well as specialised sensory organs such as the eye and ear. These different neuronal cell types arise from a common progenitor during development, and furthermore, many of the essential genetic elements required for their development have been retained across different species during evolution. This module will cover selected highlights of contemporary research findings from drosophila, chicken and mouse developmental biology that have informed our emergent understanding of the genes and cellular processes involved in nervous system development and organisation, that will likely impact on the ability to repair spinal cord injuries and treat neurodegenerative disorders in your generation.

Endocrinology and Disease

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

The aim of this module is to discuss the structure, synthesis, secretion and metabolic effects of the major classes of hormones (e.g. insulin, glucagon, thyroid hormones, glucocorticoids, sex steroids, the renin-angiotensin system, growth hormone and prolactin). Emphasis will be placed upon how imbalances in the synthesis and secretion of these hormones leads to disease states, their symptoms and treatment (e.g. diabetes mellitus, Addisons Disease, Cushing's Syndrome, Grave's disease, hypothyroidism, acromegaly and dwarfism, hypertension).

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.

Genome Stability, Genetic Diseases and Cancer

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

The design of new therapies for cancer depends on first understanding the molecular events that cause the disease. Genomic DNA is damaged spontaneously by chemical carcinogens and by radiation. If unrepaired, this damage leads to mutations, cancer and other developmental disorders. All cells have evolved a sophisticated array of repair and response mechanisms to deal with DNA damage. The aim of this module is to understand the molecular mechanisms that control DNA repair and to appreciate how defects in genes involved in these repair processes are associated with different, in many cases cancer-prone, genetic disorders. Throughout the module, emphasis will be placed on both the review and critical evaluation of recently published experimental evidence; advances in this area rely on a combination of biochemical analysis, genetic approaches and bioinformatics. Lectures on this module will be complemented by discussion groups.

Genomics and Bioinformatics

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module will introduce the common types of genomic and proteomic data available in biological databases; including DNA and protein sequences, motifs, gene structure, protein interactions and expression profiles. The aims and methods of DNA and protein sequence analysis will be covered, including analysis of homology, identification of motifs and domains, pair-wise and multiple alignments and prediction of gene structure.

The practical sessions will include the analysis of DNA and protein sequence data from biological databases. In these sessions you will learn how to integrate data to find the functional links between disease related genes and proteins.

Human Vocal Communication

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

Prerequisites: ideally at least one of Psychobiology, or Perception and Attention, or equivalent

This module takes you from the production of vocalisations in mammals to the development and perception of human speech. We cover: the anatomy of the vocal apparatus in mammals (including humans); the production of mammal (including human) vocal signals and how this shapes their acoustic structure; the key differences between animal vocalisations and human speech; the structure of speech; adult speech perception; child speech perception including how children learn to perceive speech; everyday speech perception; and the evolution of speech, with emphasis on the precursors of human speech in animal vocal communication systems, including anatomical adaptations, and what hominid fossils tell us.

Innovation in Bioscience and Medicine

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

The purpose of this module is to provide you with an overview of how research in the life sciences can lead to innovation in society, and the factors that shape, boost or inhibit such innovation.

The module explores the applications of bioscience, particularly in medicine, its products and processes, and their patterns of development. It examines the mechanisms through which products and services are commercialised, such as university-industry links, spin-off firms and corporate alliances. Wider regulatory and ethical debates and the role they play in the development of biotechnology are also explored.

Intelligence in Animals and Machines

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

The module will develop your understanding of what it means for an animal or a machine to behave intelligently, and how brain and behavioural systems are adapted to enable an animal to cope effectively within its environment. You will consider diverse aspects of intelligence, including navigation and motor control, numerical, language, memory and social skills. You will explore how these are related to one another and how they are matched to the particular needs of animals and machines.

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.

Molecular Genetics

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

The module will cover the application of molecular genetics to the study of processes in model systems and higher eukaryotes. Particular topics will include cell cycle and checkpoint control, recombination and mating type switching in lower eukaryotes, gene mapping and cloning disease genes in higher eukaryotes, and the production of transgenic animals.

Neuronal Plasticity and Gene Regulation

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module will consider how cellular and molecular mechanisms interact in the regulation of neuronal plasticity, the ability of the nervous system to adapt its structural-functional organisation to new situations emerging from changes in intrinsic and extrinsic inputs. During the module particular emphasis will be placed on mechanisms underlying the acquisition, processing and storage of information by the nervous system. You will also discuss recently discovered phenomena such as epigenetic regulation and natural antisense transcripts (NATs) in the context of their importance for the regulation of neural functions.

Neuronal Transduction and Transmission

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module explores aspects of neuronal signalling, in both vertebrates and invertebrates, highlighting how molecular structure relates to function in signalling pathways. The emphasis will be on understanding how molecular and cellular mechanisms underlie the function of the CNS at a systems level and the generation of behaviour.

The module begins with the problem of sensory transduction (getting information into the nervous system), with a particular emphasis on mechanical (auditory) and visual modalities. This will be followed by a series of lectures on how information is processed at the synapse, covering electrical transmission and preand post-synaptic mechanisms at the chemical synapse. You will also be introduced to non-synaptic information processing.

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.

Post Transcriptional Control of Gene Expression

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module explores in detail the molecular mechanisms controlling RNA export, translation and decay in eukaryotes. It focuses on how such processes are carried out and regulated - by hormones and growth factors, miRNAs, viral infection, ischaemia, hypoxia and stress - and what goes wrong in the diseased state.

Protein Form and Function

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

Protein Form and Function provides a sense of how protein structures are related to each other and of how these structures relate to protein function. On this module you will be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to learn about and appreciate this class of molecule. This module covers aspects of protein structure in detail and introduces computational and experimental techniques that are essential for studying proteins, and provides the basis for the in depth discussion of more topical issues such as protein engineering and design, protein folding, chaperones and protein folding diseases.

Regulating the Transcriptome

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module takes an in­- depth look at the molecular mechanisms controlling RNA expression in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, focussing largely on gene transcription but also examining RNA processing events. The mechanism of action of RNA polymerase, transcription factors and RNA processing factors will also be examined in detail.

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.

Structure and Function in the Brain

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

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.