Faculty of Science

Animal Biology

Unit Outline

Plant and Animal Biology

BIOL1131
SEM-2, 2014
Campus: Crawley
Unit Coordinator: Dr Nicki Mitchell
Dr Susan Barker
All material reproduced herein has been copied in accordance with and pursuant to a statutory licence administered by
Copyright Agency Limited (CAL), granted to the University of Western Australia pursuant to Part VB of the Copyright Act 1968
(Cth).
Copying of this material by students, except for fair dealing purposes under the Copyright Act, is prohibited. For the purposes
of this fair dealing exception, students should be aware that the rule allowing copying, for fair dealing purposes, of 10% of the
work, or one chapter/article, applies to the original work from which the excerpt in this course material was taken, and not to
the course material itself
The University of Western Australia 2001

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Unit details
Unit title
Unit code
Availability
Location

Plant and Animal Biology

BIOL1131
SEM-2, 2014 (28/07/2014 - 22/11/2014)
Crawley

Credit points

Mode

Face to face, Multimode

Contact details
Faculty
School
School website
Unit coordinator
Email
Telephone
Unit co-coordinator
Email
Telephone
Consultation hours
Lecturers

Unit contact hours

Lecture capture system
Online handbook
Unit website

Faculty of Science
Animal Biology
http://www.animals.uwa.edu.au/
Dr Nicki Mitchell
nicola.mitchell@uwa.edu.au
6488 4510
Dr Susan Barker
susan.barker@uwa.edu.au
6488 2435
Mondays 10-11am or by appointment, phone 6488 4510 (Assoc. Prof Mitchell) or 6488 2425 (Assoc. Prof
Barker)

Name

Position

Email

Associate Professor Nicola Mitchell

Dr Jane Prince
W/Professor Philip Withers
W/Professor Kingsley Dixon
W/Professor Steven Hopper
W/Professor Hans Lambers
W/Professor Tim Colmer

Unit Coordinator and Lecturer

Lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer

nicola.mitchell@uwa.edu.au
jane.prince@uwa.edu.au
philip.withers@uwa.edu.au
kdixon@bgpa.wa.gov.au
steve.hopper@uwa.edu.au
hans.lambers@uwa.edu.au
timothy.colmer@uwa.edu.au

Lectures: 3 hrs per week; Practical sessions: 6 x 2.5 hrs (on average), including two field excursions of 3
hrs. Practicals begin in week two.
LCS is implemented for this unit.
http://units.handbooks.uwa.edu.au/units/BIOL/BIOL1131
http://www.lms.uwa.edu.au/course/view.php?id=4301

Unit rules
Advisable prior study

BIOL1130 Frontiers in Biology (formerly BIOL1130 Core Concepts in Biology) or WACE Biological Sciences
or TEE Biology

Unit description
This unit explores diversity of form and function of animals, plants and fungi, in marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats. It considers
their origins, taxonomic relationships, structural, physiological and behavioural adaptations, their lifestyles, reproductive modes and life
history strategies. There is an emphasis on how these characteristics allow living organisms to exploit a wide range of environmental
conditions, and on the impact of changes in those conditions, through either natural occurrences or anthropogenic effects. It provides
the basic knowledge required for field-based biology such as ecology, eco-physiology or environmental management. The unit provides
a comprehensive introduction to organismal biology and demonstrates the process of biological enquiry via engaging students in an
online journal project.

Learning outcomes
Students are able to (1) recall and articulate the diversity of ways that living organisms live and how functional adaptations allow
organisms to exploit a wide range of environmental conditions; (2) understand how knowledge of biological processes can be used to
make management decisions in natural or altered ecosystems; (3) describe how structural, physiological and behavioural adaptations
allow organisms to exploit a wide range of environmental conditions; (4) demonstrate the principles of experimental design and analysis
through application to practical exercises and assignments; (5) demonstrate critical thinking through practical assessments; and (6)
work cooperatively in practical classes and in the field, handling biological materials and equipment in a proficient and safe manner.

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Unit structure
Lectures
Three 45 minute lectures per week, held in The Wilsmore and Tattersal Lecture Theatres (twinned venue). These lectures are
recorded and made available through Echo on the LMS.

Practical sessions
Six three hour classes in the semester, usually held in the Biology Building.

Other
There are two field trips off-campus during the semester. Each field trip has an alternative exercise and students must elect to do one
of them. One alternative exercise is held later in the evening to encompass observations on nocturnal animals.
PLEASE REFER TO THE CURRENT UNIT OUTLINE ON THE BIOL1131 LMS FOR FULL DETAILS AND A COMPREHENSIVE
TIMETABLE

Unit schedule
Week
1.
2
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Assessment
Assessment overview
Typically this unit is assessed in the following way(s): (1) continuous practical assessment via supplementary questions and written
assignments; (2) three online quizzes; and (3) final examination. Further information is available in the unit outline.

Assessment mechanism
Assessment items
Item Title

Description

Submission Procedure for Assignments

Online quizzes (3)

Build a beast
Supplementary Questions (4)
Mini-Review (1)
Pamphlet
Final Exam

Covers the preceding group of lectures

Team presentation in practical class
Short tests on practical work
An exercise in reviewing literature and scientific writing
Short writing exercise based on field excursion
Covers all lecture material

Submitted via 'Connect'

Assessed in class
Submitted in class
Submit online via the LMS
Submit online via the LMS
November Examination

Textbooks and resources

Recommended texts
Text
Knox, B. et al. Biology, 4th ed.: McGraw-Hill 2010

Suggested alternate texts

Earlier editions of Knox et al. (2001, 1994, 2005) are useable, but not recommended

Additional resources and reading

This unit has a LMS site. The audio and visual content of the lectures are recorded and are available for the duration of the semester.
There are also discussion forums and general information about the unit.
This unit also uses 'Connect' - a McGraw Hill Publishing product that allows weekly self assessment of lecture material

Other important information

Students who have not taken BIOL1130 Frontiers in Biology should contact either one of the unit co-ordinators for preliminary reading.

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