autumn 2022
BIO-3013 Northern food web ecology - 10 ECTS

  1. Startsida
  2. Emnekatalog
  3. Northern food web ecology

Application deadline

Concerns only admission to singular courses: Applicants from Nordic countries: 1 June for the autumn semester and 1 December for the spring semester. Exchange students and Fulbright students: 15 October for the spring semester and 15 April for the autumn semester.

Type of course

Master course for biology students - principally aimed at MSc-students specializing in "Northern Populations and Ecosystems".

The course is available as a singular course.

Admission requirements

Admission requires a Bachelor`s degree (180 ECTS) or equivalent qualification, with a major in biology of minimum 80 ECTS and ecology of minimum 10 ECTS. 

Local admission, application code 9371 - Master`s level singular course

Course overlap

If you pass the examination in this course, you will get an reduction in credits (as stated below), if you previously have passed the following courses:

BIO-3122 Northern populations and ecosystems 10 stp
BIO-8016 Northern food web ecology 10 stp

Course content

Ecosystems in northern terrestrial biomes "arctic tundra and boreal forest" are increasingly studied using the framework of food web to understand ecosystem structure and functioning. The food web framework builds on well-established ecological theory on trophic interactions (producer-consumer relations) between plants, herbivores and carnivores. Recent methodological developments have provided means to study such trophic interactions more comprehensively within entire ecological communities. The food web approach appears to be especially amenable in case of the relatively simple communities in northern terrestrial ecosystem that often are ruled by a few key interactions. Food webs have also recently shown to be a very fruitful way to study the role of human intervention in ecosystems (harvesting and provision of anthropogenic subsidies) and especially the impact of climate change in arctic ecosystems.   

Objectives of the course

  • To demonstrate how a food web perspective is useful for describing and analyzing ecological dynamics emerging from the trophic interaction in ecosystems.
  • To give the students a basic understanding of how basic mechanism in populations and communities leads to ecological dynamics through training in the use of simple models to understand such dynamics.
  • To provide an overview of the structural characteristics of terrestrial food webs and how these vary in time and space in boreal and arctic biomes.
  • To give an introduction to some modern empirical methods of studying trophic interactions.
  • To learn what are the key processes and functions in northern terrestrial food webs by means of illustrious case studies.
  • To train students in reading, presenting and discussing scientific research papers efficiently and critically: student seminars.       

Language of instruction and examination

The language of instruction is English and all of the syllabus material is in English. Examination questions will be given in English, but may be answered either in English or a Scandinavian language.

Teaching methods

Lectures, seminars, modelling laboratory and a project assignment. The course starts with a 2-day workshop.

Information to incoming exchange students

This course is open for inbound exchange student who meets the admission requirements. Please see the "Admission requirements" section.

Do you have questions about this module? Please check the following website to contact the course coordinator for exchange students at the faculty: https://en.uit.no/education/art?p_document_id=510412

Examination

Examination: Date: Grade scale:
Oral exam 12.12.2022 08:00
 A–E, fail F

Coursework requirements:

To take an examination, the student must have passed the following coursework requirements:
Leading a seminar Approved – not approved
UiT Exams homepage

More info about the coursework requirements

Each student is required to lead at least one seminar during the seminar parts of the courses. 

Re-sit examination

There will be a re-sit examination for students that did not pass the previous ordinary examination. 
  • About the course
  • Campus: Tromsø |
  • ECTS: 10
  • Course code: BIO-3013
  • Tidligere år og semester for dette emnet