This course aims to introduce some of the major concepts in the study of life, focussing on evolutionary and ecological questions. It assumes no previous qualifications in biology and, while this course is an important prerequisite for those majoring in biology, it is also designed for students not intending further study in biology. The program consists of four modules, as follows.
(a) Evolution - diversity and classification of life; evidence for evolution; natural selection and adaptation; speciation; evolutionary trees.
(b) Molecular Genetics - organisation and replication of genetic material; the mechanism and control of transcription and translation.
(c) Genetics of Inheritance - Chromosomes and cell division; patterns of inheritance and sex determination; population genetics; human genetics.
(d) Ecology - regulation and exploitation of populations; ecosystem energy and nutrient flow; species interactions; biodiversity; human impacts.
(e) Behavioural Ecology - evolutionary approach to studying animal behaviour; social behaviour; cooperation and altruism; sexual selection; mating systems; communication.
(f) Quantitative Biology - DNA and Protein sequence manipulation, similarity analysis, alignment, nucleotide and protein sequence database search.
Specific topics may differ from year to year. There will be laboratory and field practicals as well as tutorials to allow students to gain the basic skills needed to engage with the main topics.
Note: Graduate students attend joint classes with undergraduates but will be assessed separately
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:- Gain broad understanding of the evolutionary and ecological processes underlying life, relevant to understanding of modern biology and choice of later-year courses. This learning outcome is best achieved if students also take BIOL6036 ‘Molecular Biology', because an understanding of molecular processes complements the evolutionary and ecological perspective on life.
- Acquire knowledge and understanding of the processes of evolution, including natural selection, adaptation and speciation.
- Acquire knowledge and understanding of the processes of genetics, including DNA structure and function, cell replication, heritability and population genetics.
- Acquire knowledge and understanding of the processes of ecology, including biomes, species diversity, extinction, population ecology and life-history.
- Acquire knowledge and understanding of behavioural ecology, and how it uses an evolutionary, genetic and ecological framework to study animal behaviour.
- Gain experience in referencing scientific papers, presenting scientific data, development of directional hypotheses.
- Gain experience in working with biological sequences and public sequence databases.
Indicative Assessment
Assessment will be based on:- Mid-semester examination (28%) (LO 1-5)
- Final examination (38%) (LO 1-5)
- Assignments (20%) (LO 1-6)
- Sequence analysis project (14%) (LO 3,6,7)
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
Three lectures per week and up to 20 hours of tutorial sessions and practical classesRequisite and Incompatibility
You will need to contact the Biology Teaching and Learning Centre to request a permission code to enrol in this course.
Prescribed Texts
Campbell, Reece and Meyers Biology 11th Edition Australian Version. PLEASE NOTE: the textavailable at the ANU Co-Op Bookshop contains an access code for Mastering Biology software
that will give you access to supplementary support.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $3660 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $5160 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4766 | 19 Feb 2018 | 27 Feb 2018 | 31 Mar 2018 | 25 May 2018 | In Person | N/A |
