Biodiversity - patterns and processes

The course is an advanced-level specialization course in biology. It is an elective course within the Nordic Master's Programme in Biodiversity and Systematics (N2BIS) and the Master's Programme in Biology (N2BIO), and can also be taken as a stand-alone course.

At least 120 credits (credits) of which at least 60 credits in biology and of these should at least 15 credits should be specialisation in the subject and English 6/English B or an equivalent discipline.

All students who are accepted to the master's programme in biology or Nordic master programme in systematics and biodiversity are assessed as qualified to take the course.

The course covers spatial biodiversity patterns, historical biogeography, species distribution modelling and diversity forecasts, trait evolution in a spatial and environmental context, diversification dynamic, and spatial conservation prioritization.

The six topics may be understood as the following questions:

• Where are there most species and why?
• Why do different organism groups live in the regions of the world where they live?
• How will species respond to climate change and how can we know?
• How does the environment affect how species evolve?
• Why do some groups have more species than others and to what extent does that relate to where the organism groups live?
• What areas and or species are more important to protect and why?

On successful completion of the course students will be able to:

• Understand the temporal, spatial and environmental drivers of diversity patterns
• Understand how humans effects biodiversity and how these effects can be minimized
• Be able to read, understand and interpret original scientific papers in the field
• Be able to analyze biodiversity data in R

The course is given as an online course in its entirety with the possibility for physical meetings for students who so wish. The course is divided into six topics. The first five comprising one week of teaching, the last only comprising half a week. The first five topics will be broken down into two lectures, two journal clubs and one computer-based project (in R). The last topic will only have two lectures and a journal club.

Language of instruction: English.

The course is examined by a series of reports representing each of the five topics covered in the first five weeks of the course and an oral examination over zoom.

If a student who has been failed twice for the same examination element wishes to change examiner before the next examination session, such a request is to be granted unless there are specific reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6 Section 22 HF).

If a student has received a certificate of disability study support from the University of Gothenburg with a recommendation of adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment, an examiner may decide, if this is consistent with the course’s intended learning outcomes and provided that no unreasonable resources would be needed, to grant the student adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment.

If a course has been discontinued or undergone major changes, the student must be offered at least two examination sessions in addition to ordinary examination sessions. These sessions are to be spread over a period of at least one year but no more than two years after the course has been discontinued/changed. The same applies to placement and internship (VFU) except that this is restricted to only one further examination session.

If a student has been notified that they fulfil the requirements for being a student at Riksidrottsuniversitetet (RIU student), to combine elite sports activities with studies, the examiner is entitled to decide on adaptation of examinations if this is done in accordance with the Local rules regarding RIU students at the University of Gothenburg.

Half of the grade will be awarded throughout the course. Five rapports one for each of the first five weeks need to be handed in and will award 10% of the final grade each.

The second half of the grade will be based on an exam. This will be an oral exam over zoom. At the exam the student will randomly be assigned one of the papers they read in journal clubs and one of two possible questions per lecture. Half the exam grade will be based on discussion of the paper and half will be based on the theoretical question based on a lecture.

The results of and possible changes to the course will be shared with students who participated in the evaluation and students who are starting the course.