Aims

To develop an in-depth understanding of:

1. The functioning of terrestrial ecosystems and the factors that underpin ecosystem processes and biogeochemical cycling among biomes.

2. Soils and ecosystems as complex, integrated systems with interactions and interdependencies among their biotic and abiotic components.

3. The key role that organisms play in regulating the cycling of carbon and nutrients.

4. How human activity and external forcings (e.g. land management, land-use change, climate change) impact ecosystem processes and biogeochemical cycling.

5. The applications of soil and ecosystem science to sustainable management of production systems, including agriculture and forestry.

6. The role of innovations in technology and practice in sustainable land-use; for example, novel soil amendments to enhance soil health, nature-based carbon dioxide removal technologies (e.g. biochar, enhanced rock weathering), or novel production systems for diversification and provision of multiple ecosystem services (e.g. intercropping, agroforestry).

Outline Of Syllabus

Topics are introduced in lectures and explored in greater depth in workshops and practicals. Key topics include:

1. Primary production and its controls; plant mineral nutrition and plant-soil interactions.

2. The chemistry of soils (e.g. ion exchange, adsorption, hydrophobic interactions, points of zero charge, pH, redox potential) and it's role in carbon and nutrient cycling.

3. Soil organic matter and nutrient dynamics; decomposition; nutrient transformations, mineralisation, uptake and retention; carbon sequestration and loss; production of greenhouse gases.

4. Role of microbes in modulating soil processes; mutualisms; role of syntropy and microbial consortia in metabolism of complex substrates.

5. Role of land-use change, climate change and environmental pollution (e.g. nitrogen deposition, acid rain) in altering soil and ecosystem function.

6. Impacts of soil management practices on plant productivity, yield, nutrient retention and loss, soil health, and greenhouse gas exchange.

7. Potential for innovations in technology and practice to enhance the sustainability of land-use.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures and readings introduce key principles,theories and concepts, including application of knowledge to solving applied environmental problems.

Self-guided online learning activities build on the conceptual knowledge gained in the lectures and develop the students’ numerical and data analysis skills. Students apply the conceptual knowledge they have obtained in the lectures and readings to solve numerical problems, in addition to manipulating, visualising, analysing and interpreting environmental data.

The workshops provide opportunities for the students to apply knowledge to address real-world problems (e.g. in the context of problem-based learning activities), develop data analysis skills, and prepare for the essay assessments in the exam. For example, with respect to data analysis, the students will be provided with datasets taken from the peer-reviewed literature to analyse, visulaise and interpret. With respect to essay writing, students will prepare an essay plan, under the instructor's guidance, as part of a formative exercise (see Assessment section below).

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Students will be provided with formative assessments during the course of the semester to prepare for the final exam. This will include: quizzes to review and test their knowledge of core principles and concepts; and preparation of an essay plan to developt their essay writing skills for the exam.

The summative assessment consists of a single exam (three hours) which contains multiple choice, multiple answer and essay questions. Multiple choice and multiple answer questions will account for 30% of the exam mark, while the essay questions will account for 70% of the exam mark.

The multiple choice and multiple answer questions evaluate the students' grasp of core principles, concepts and knowledge, including the students' ability to interpret data (e.g. evaluate data presented in graphs or tables) and undertake simple numerical calculations. Approximately one hour will be budgeted for this activity.

The essay questions will develop the students' research skills, test the students' capacity for rational thought, ability to synthesise knowledge, and critically analyse information. Because the essay questions require use of higher-order skills, students will be provided with one or more case studies (e.g. from the peer-reviewed literature) to research and critically analyse prior to the exam. They will then be expected to respond to questions on those case studies, preparing one or more essays totalling no more than 1000 words. Approximately two hours will be set aside for essay writing during the exam.