Tropical Biome Ecology & Climate Change

In this course, you will obtain a broad appreciation of the diversity and dynamics of tropical terrestrial & marine biomes. You will be introduced to the current and past distributions of tropical rainforests, dry forest, savannas and coastal biomes, their biodiversity, and their relationships with the abiotic environment, human use, present threats, and restoration practices. This course aims to bring together an understanding of the underlying ecological processes that affect different biomes with the role of human society in shaping the present and future rainforests of the Wet Tropics & the coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef. The course will take the rainforest Australian Wet Tropics & the coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) as case studies to investigate this field, yet many of the skills you learn here can be transferred to other systems. Topics covered will include: biophysical determinants vegetation and coral reef distribution; past, present, and future threats to Wet Tropics rainforests & GBR; and the theory and practice of rainforest and coral restoration.

The course also has a practical component. You will be taught field techniques for carrying out field research, data analysis, and communication of results.