Ecotoxicology
SCB303
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Level of study: What does Undergraduate Level 3 mean?
Undergraduate Level 3
EFTSL: What does EFTSL mean?
0.125
Delivery Method: What does delivery method mean?
Fully Online
Prerequisites: What are the prerequisites?
Availability: What is a Study period?
For enrolment (2012): For forward planning* (2013): What is Forward Planning?- -
- -
- SP3
- SP4
Duration:
13 weeks
Government loans available:
FEE-HELP FEE-HELP
Fee: Fees (current and planned)
- Domestic student fee:
- $1,589.00 (AUD)
- International student fee:
- $1,814.00 (AUD)
Description
This unit has a vocational focus. It introduces to the student the field of environmental toxicology and teaches them practical skills in pollution sampling techniques and their application to the study of environmental assessment. This unit enables students to develop a detailed knowledge of ecotoxicological principles. It prepares the students to utilise ecological sampling techniques in the field to solve applied ecotoxicological problems and in preparing critical scientific reviews, specifically in important areas of ecotoxicology.
Please Note: The unit fee includes $550 as most units include on-campus or lab work.
Prerequisites
Recommended prerequisites
You are recommended to have completed the following unit(s) or have equivalent knowledge before starting this unit:
- SCB120 — Plant Structure and Function
- SCB130 — Animal Structure and Function
- SCI18 — Introduction to Chemistry
Or evidence of equivalent capabilities.
Assessment
- Invigilated Exam (50%)
- Report (30%)
- Review (20%)
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit students will be able to:
- define critical terms and concepts in ecotoxicology
- describe and evaluate the biological, ecological and chemical factors affecting toxicity testing
- differentiate between toxicants in their effects on organisms and ecosystems
- explain the effects of bioaccumulation and biotransformation in organisms and ecosystems and the impacts of major pollution events such as oil spills
- describe and discuss the interaction of micro-organisms with biogeochemical cycles
- describe, discuss and apply tests for pollution using micro-organisms
- describe and evaluate biological indicators of pollution at the habitat and organism level
- evaluate the risk to ecosystem function from a pollutant.
Topics
This unit addresses the following topics.
| Number | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to ecotoxicology |
| 2 | Toxicity testing |
| 3 | Chemical distribution |
| 4 | Specific toxicant effects |
| 5 | Biological monitoring |
| 6 | Ecological risk assessment |
| 7 | Environmental microbiology |
| 8 | Photosynthetic organisms and pollution |
| 9 | Water pollution and water sampling methods |
Study Resources
Each unit offered through OUA provides students with unit information that includes assessment topics and due dates, policy information and contact numbers for university support and academic staff. Study materials will also clearly outline each week's topic, readings, student activities and the format of all assessment.
Textbooks are subject to change within the academic year. Students are advised to purchase their books no earlier than one to two months before the start of a unit.
Click on the titles of the listed books below to find out more:
Required textbooks
Recommended textbooks
Relevant Courses
This unit is a core requirement in the following courses:
This unit may be eligible for credit towards other courses:
- Many undergraduate courses on offer through OUA include 'open elective' where any OUA unit can be credited to the course. You need to check the Award Requirements on the course page for the number of allowed open electives and any level limitations.
- In other cases, the content of this unit might be relevant to a course on offer through OUA or elsewhere. In order to receive credit for this unit in the course you will need to supply the provider institution with a copy of the Unit Profile in the approved format, which you can download here. Note that the Unit Profile is set at the start of the year, and if textbooks change this may not match the Unibooks textbook list.
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