BVB313 Molecular Ecology

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2025, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

Understanding the dispersal and movement of genes in populations is fundamental to the management of invasive species, the management of fisheries and wild resources and the conservation of rare species. This unit will provide the theoretical and practical training required for practicing ecologists to use genetic techniques in theoretical and applied settings. 

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Generate and evaluate possible solutions to problems associated with population processes.
2. Select appropriate molecular approaches to solve ecological problems.
3. Apply standard molecular laboratory techniques relevant to population genetics research.
4. Communicate genetic processes that occur at a population level in accepted written formats.
5. Formulate a research question and conduct Molecular Ecology research including data collection and analysis.

Content

Learning Approaches

The unit consists of a mixture of face-to-face lectures, workshops and a series of molecular and computer laboratory practicals. These sessions will be augmented with online resources to help develop the theoretical understanding obtained in earlier units in the Biological Sciences major and to extend and apply them to studies in Molecular Ecology. Practical sessions will examine typical questions investigated in population genetic studies and further, will familiarise you with current digital practices and technologies applied to genetic analyses. Ethical considerations in genetic research will be highlighted. Together, the lab/workshop sessions will be used to co-ordinate a semester-long research topic that will form the basis of the research paper. A field exercise may form an element in this unit.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

There are multiple opportunities to receive feedback on your learning in this unit. Whole-of-class and individual feedback will be provided during laboratory practicals and workshops. Automated feedback will be received immediately upon the completion of pre-lab summative quizzes. Feedback on other summative assessment tasks will be provided by a rubric, with personalised written comments.

Assessment

Overview

Assessment in this unit will consist of three elements:

• A review of selected literature on a topic relevant to the unit 
• A practical workbook
• A research paper

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Literature Review

You will provide a literature review of scientific articles relevant to your group research project. 

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Workbook

You will maintain a laboratory notebook in which you write reports relating to the material covered in the workshops and laboratory sessions throughout the semester, including fieldwork, if feasible.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Research Paper

Throughout the semester, you will work in groups to undertake i) field work; ii) molecular lab work; and iii) data analysis. N.B. some of these components may be presented as virtual experiences depending on circumstances. Using knowledge gained throughout the semester and data that you have generated or been provided with, you will individually write a research paper in the form of a manuscript for publication in the journal 'Molecular Ecology'.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Requirements to Study

Costs

There are no out of the ordinary costs associated with the study of this unit.

Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

The unit consists of classroom-based lectures, discussions and practicals, all of which are extremely low risk activities. Risk assessments for any field work identify several low impact risks, including: travel; slips and trips; animal bites, and animal and plant stings. Students are provided with a health and safety manual detailing health, safety and emergency procedures associated with laboratory and field activities. Students are required to read, understand and put into practice all safety guidelines. Safety considerations associated with field trips will be discussed in pre-trip briefings with printed notes related to safety issues being distributed where appropriate.

Course Learning Outcomes

ST01 Bachelor of Science

1. Develop a broad, multidisciplinary understanding of science and a specialised, in-depth knowledge of at least one discipline.
   Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, ULO5, Literature Review, Workbook, Research Paper
2. Use higher order thinking skills to design, plan, and conduct investigations and evaluate data to address scientific questions and challenges.
   Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, ULO5, Literature Review, Workbook, Research Paper
3. Develop and demonstrate key competencies in scientific practices and relevant technologies.
   Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, Workbook, Research Paper
4. Communicate scientific findings, concepts and evidence-based reasoning to diverse audiences using a variety of methods.
   Relates to: ULO4, Literature Review, Workbook, Research Paper

SV02 Bachelor of Science

1. Develop a broad, multidisciplinary understanding of science and a specialised, in-depth knowledge of at least one discipline.
   Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, ULO5, Literature Review, Workbook, Research Paper
2. Use higher order thinking skills to design, plan, and conduct investigations and evaluate data to address scientific questions and challenges.
   Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, ULO5, Literature Review, Workbook, Research Paper
3. Develop and demonstrate key competencies in scientific practices and relevant technologies.
   Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, Workbook, Research Paper
4. Communicate scientific findings, concepts and evidence-based reasoning to diverse audiences using a variety of methods.
   Relates to: ULO4, Literature Review, Workbook, Research Paper