Høst 2016

BIO-2012 Fundamentals of Ecotoxicolgy I - 10 stp

The course is administrated by

Institutt for arktisk og marin biologi

Type of course

The course is the theoretical component of the course Fundamentals of Ecotoxicology. The course is obligatory for undergraduate students taking the BSc programme Miljøledelse og Forurensningsbiologi. The course is also available for other biology students and exchange students at a biology study program. Available as singular course.

Course overlap

BIO-2008 Introduction to ecotoxicology 8 stp

Course contents

The course will cover general principles of ecotoxicology. More specifically, the course will give an overview of environmental contaminants and their fate in the environment, including emissions and transport of contaminants and effects in biota. The course will also include methodologies used for toxicity testing and environmental monitoring.

Application deadline

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

Admission requirements

Nordic applicants: Admission requirements are generell studiekompetanse + REALFA.

Application code: 9336

International applicants: Higher Education Entrance Qualification and certified language requirements in English. A list of the requirements for the Higher Education Entrance Qualification in Norway can be found on the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education website - nokut.no

Obligatory prerequisites: Students that have not taken the courses BIO-2002, KJE-1001 or MBI-1001 must have taken simular courses in physiology, chemestry, cell and molecular biology at university level.

Obligatory prerequisites

BIO-2002 Physiology II (Animal Physiology), KJE-1001 Introduction to chemistry and the chemistry of biology, MBI-1001 Cell and molecular biology

Objective of the course

Students who have completed this course shall have knowledge about:

Introduction to different types of pollution.
The major classes of contaminants.
How to define specific terms such as toxicity, environmental toxicology, bioaccumulation, biomagnification, etc.
How to gain introductory knowledge on transport processes and specific chemical processes of contaminants.
How to summarize and describe routes of toxicant absorption, distribution by the body, storage sites and sites of toxicity, biotransformation and elimination.
How to describe the toxicant effects.
How to describe different types of toxicity.
How to develop an introductory understanding of toxicity testing and dose-response curves.

Students who have completed this course shall have skills about:

How to write a scientific report
How to present an oral presentation
Critical reading

Students who have completed this course shall have general competance about:

Basic knowledge of ecotoxicology
Scientific writing
Literature search

Language of instruction

English

Teaching methods

Lectures (30h), colloquium (10h) and seminars (5h).

Assessment

4h written exam. A graded scale of five marks from A to E for pass and F for fail.

In order to sit an examination, the student must complete and gain approval for any coursework requirements. Coursework requirements: oral presentation during the colloquiums. Students will give a 20-30 minute presentation during the colloquiums. Students will be free to choose among different topics proposed by the teacher.

There will be a re-sit examination for students that fail the ordinary exam.

Date for examination

One written 02.12.2016

The date for the exam can be changed. The final date will be announced at your faculty early in May and early in November.

Recommended reading/syllabus

Lecture notes and book:

Fundamentals in Ecotoxicology, 4th edition Michael C. Newman, CRC Press Divided into 14 chapters, the book begins with an overall history of the field. It details the essential features of the key contaminants of concern today, including their sources. It examines bioaccumulation, the effects of contaminants at increasing levels of ecological organization, and the regulatory aspects of the field addressing the technical issues of risk assessment. The author includes appendices illustrating important environmental laws and regulations, and compiles key terms not already identified by section headings in the glossary. He also provides suggested readings at the end of each chapter and presents study questions at the end of the book. Designed as a textbook for use in introductory graduate or upper-level undergraduate courses in ecotoxicology, applied ecology, environmental pollution, and environmental science, it can also be used as a general reference for practicing environmental toxicologists.

Note that copies of the book will be made available at the library for the whole duration of the course.