Ecology Lectures

1
BIOL 3042 Plant Ecology
Dr Glenda Wardle School of Biological
Sciences Email gwardle_at_bio.usyd.edu.au

• Plant ecology encourages students to reach their
  potential in research
• More than half the students have gone on to first
  class honours!

2
Experimental ecology

• Individual research projects with an emphasis on
  experimental design and hypothesis testing

Competition experiment
3
Topics in plant ecology

• Interactions - e.g. competition, herbivory
• Evolution in action - examples of natural
  selection
• Reproductive ecology - pollination, mating
  systems, and recruitment
• Conservation and management of threatened species
  and endangered ecological communities

Mimosa pigra
Honey bee
Pine cone
Wollemi pine
Trachymene incisa
Rare Epacris
4
Advantages of plant ecology

• Individual attention
• Relevant work skills developed
• Research experience for all
• Happy students
• Job references possible
• No previous plant courses required

Yeh, of course I like plants!
Red necked wallaby