Ecology and Conservation Biology MBiol, BSc

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The Ecology and Conservation Biology program at the University of Leeds equips students with the knowledge and skills to address environmental challenges facing the natural world. Through a combination of classroom instruction, field courses, and independent research, students gain expertise in ecology, conservation, and sustainability, preparing them for careers in academia, research, environmental consulting, and conservation organizations.

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Ecology and Conservation Biology MBiol, BSc | University of Leeds

Degree Overview:

This program aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to address the critical challenges facing the natural world. The program offers a comprehensive approach, covering a wide range of ecological and conservation topics, from local to global perspectives.

Objectives:

• Gain cutting-edge knowledge and develop skills in ecology and conservation.
• Learn how to measure the distribution and abundance of species and understand organism interactions with their environment.
• Personalize the degree by choosing from a variety of optional modules, including animal behavior, evolution, climate change science, sustainability, and environmental law.
• Gain specialized training through an integrated Masters (MBiol) program, including advanced research topics and an extended research project.
• Develop practical field-based skills through residential field courses in Spain, Scotland, and an optional course in South Africa.
• Explore urban ecology and the value of biodiversity in sustainable cities.

Outline:

Year 1:

• Compulsory Modules:
• Living Planet (20 credits): Covers the evolution and diversity of life, key features of each group, and their role in ecological processes.
Links each group to global challenges like food security, disease, and wildlife conservation.
• Practical Skills for Zoology and Ecology (20 credits): Develops core scientific practical and field research skills, including laboratory techniques, data analysis, and field work.
• Research & Study Skills Level 1 (20 credits): Develops core research, scientific, and study skills, including the scientific process, hypothesis testing, and literature review.
• Introduction to Genetics (10 credits): Provides foundational knowledge in genetics, exploring the concept's evolution and its implications for organisms.
• Coastal & Uplands Field Course (10 credits): Field studies at various sites on the Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland, followed by laboratory analysis.
Develops skills in sampling, monitoring, and identification of diverse organisms.
• Optional Modules (40 credits):
• Using Biology to Feed the World (10 credits): Explores the application of biological research in agriculture, including food production from animals, plants, and microorganisms.
• Introduction to Cell Biology (10 credits): Provides a basic understanding of cell biology and underlying biochemistry.
• Introduction to Creating Sustainable Futures (10 credits): Identifies challenges like climate change, pollution, and population growth, and explores solutions for a sustainable future.
• Ecology (10 credits): Introduces the main theories and principles of ecology, covering individual characteristics, population dynamics, species interactions, and ecosystem formation.
• Vertebrate Evolution (10 credits): Covers the major features of vertebrate evolution from their origin to present-day diversity, including dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and human origins.
• Discovery Modules (10 credits): Allows students to choose a module outside their main subject.

Year 2:

• Compulsory Modules:
• Population, Community & Conservation Ecology (20 credits): Covers factors controlling population distribution and abundance, species interactions, and conservation approaches.
• Research & Study Skills Level 2 (10 credits): Further develops research and scientific skills, preparing students for their third-year research projects.
• Mediterranean Ecology Field Course (20 credits): Field studies at a field station in southern Spain, exploring the ecology, behavior, and adaptations of unique flora and fauna.
• Urban Ecology & Conservation Field Course (20 credits): Focuses on biodiversity and sustainability in urban contexts, including the University of Leeds campus.
• Optional Modules (40 credits):
• How Plants Live (20 credits): Explores the importance of plants in their environments, covering physiology, metabolism, growth, and development.
• Human Populations (10 credits): Provides an evolutionary perspective on human origins, genetic structure, and population dynamics.
• Parasitology (10 credits): Introduces parasitology, focusing on parasites causing diseases of medical and veterinary importance.
• Discovery Modules (10 credits): Allows students to choose a module outside their main subject.
• Evolution, Adaptation and Behaviour (20 credits): Examines evolutionary processes, adaptation to environments, and animal behavior in a behavioral ecology framework.
• Sustainable Food Production (10 credits): Explores crop and animal production systems, addressing food insecurity and maximizing production while safeguarding the environment.
• Climate Change Science and Impacts (10 credits): Covers the Earth's climate system, human influence on climate, and the science behind climate change attribution and impacts.
• Managing Biodiversity (10 credits): Examines threats to biodiversity, conservation strategies, and sustainable management practices.
• Skills in Communicating Research Beyond the University (10 credits): Develops skills in communicating research to audiences outside the University, including event management, marketing, and media engagement.

Year 3:

• Compulsory Modules:
• Advanced Topics in Ecology (20 credits): Covers recent developments in ecological research, taught by researchers actively involved in the field.
• Biology Integrated Research Projects (40 credits): Students conduct independent research projects in a variety of areas, including laboratory-based, field research, data analysis, and literature-based investigations.
• Advanced Topics in Conservation Science (20 credits): Explores contemporary conservation topics, including biodiversity loss, urban biodiversity, illegal wildlife trade, and climate change.
• Optional Modules (40 credits):
• South Africa Field Course (20 credits): Field studies at the Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa, exploring the ecology, behavior, and adaptations of diverse flora and fauna.
• Plant Growth, Resources & Food Security (20 credits): Explores crop plant improvement for sustainable food production under environmental pressures.
• Environmental Law (20 credits): Explores the use of environmental law, regulation, and governance to address environmental problems.
• Environmental Risk: Science, policy & management (10 credits): Examines the links between environmental risk assessment, management, and communication.
• Advanced Topics in Evolution (20 credits): Covers advanced research topics in evolution, including emerging infectious diseases, variation and speciation, and symbiosis.
• Advanced Topics in Behaviour: From Sex to Death (20 credits): Focuses on animal behavior, covering topics like sexual selection, sperm competition, parental care, and cannibalism.
• Social Biology (10 credits): Integrates knowledge from previous modules, focusing on social insect biology, ecology, ecosystem services, and evolutionary theory.
• Discovery Modules (10 credits): Allows students to choose a module outside their main subject.

Year 4 (MBiol):

• Compulsory Modules:
• Extended Research Project (90 credits): Students work on an extended research project focusing on an original, cutting-edge topic in ecology and conservation.
• Optional Modules (30 credits):
• Global Challenges in Sustainable Agriculture (15 credits): Explores past, current, and future challenges for food production, including food security and sustainable agriculture strategies.
• Conservation Decision Science (15 credits): Introduces conservation decision science, integrating mathematical approaches, ecology, and socio-economic considerations.
• Equitable Sustainability (15 credits): Explores how conservation practices can enhance biodiversity conservation and ensure equitable distribution of benefits.
• Agri-Environmental Monitoring, Economics and Policy (15 credits): Studies the goals of circular agriculture, including minimizing inputs, closing nutrient loops, and minimizing environmental impacts.
• Community Ecology (15 credits): Focuses on biodiversity, its measurement, maintenance, and conservation management.
• Advanced Statistics (15 credits): Provides practical training in modern statistical methods and their application to biological problems.
• Population Dynamics (15 credits): Develops an understanding of population dynamics theory and techniques for estimating population sizes and influencing factors.

Assessment:

The program utilizes a variety of assessment methods to evaluate student learning, including:

• Practical work
• Data handling and problem-solving exercises
• Multiple-choice tests
• Group work
• Online and face-to-face discussion groups
• Computer-based simulations
• Essays
• Posters
• Oral presentations

Teaching:

• Teaching is delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, and practicals (laboratory or field settings).
• The program emphasizes student-centered learning, using active learning approaches like creative problem-solving, teamwork activities, and mini-projects.
• Practical teaching is a core component, focusing on developing hands-on practical and research skills.
• Independent study is encouraged, supported by regular meetings with personal tutors.
• Digital tools are used to enhance learning, including online materials, interactive digital tools, and electronic laboratory notebooks.
• Field courses provide opportunities to study organisms in their natural environments.
• Teaching is conducted by expert academics, industry professionals, and trained postgraduate researchers.

Careers:

• The program equips students with the skills and knowledge for a variety of careers in ecology and conservation, as well as broader opportunities.
• Typical graduate careers include:
• Ecologist
• Environmental Consultant
• Teacher
• Academic Researcher
• Nature Conservation Officer
• Examples of recent graduate destinations include:
• Nature Reserves Officer
• Ecologist
• PhD Biology
• PGCE
• Data analyst
• The MBiol program provides specialized training valuable for research careers.

Other:

• The program is accredited by The Royal Society of Biology.
• The Faculty of Biological Sciences offers a range of scholarships for UK, EU, and international students.
• The program is taught by the Faculty of Biological Sciences.
• The University of Leeds has field research stations in the UK, Europe, and Africa.
• The Faculty's greenhouse and plant growth facilities offer opportunities to examine biodiversity interactions.
• The University of Leeds offers an online course, Ecology and Wildlife Conservation, for those interested in the subject.