Drop-in sessions
Register your interest to attend an individual drop-in session with one of our programme directors for a chance to learn more about this exciting master's at Manchester and ask any questions you may have.
MSc Environmental Monitoring, Modelling and Reconstruction / Course details
Year of entry: 2024
- View tabs
- View full page
Course unit details:
Environmental Change and Reconstruction 2: Palaeoecology in Practice
| Unit code | GEOG60122 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 15 |
| Unit level | FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
This unit delivers teaching relating to the study of past environmental changes. It builds on the first semester unit Environmental Change and Reconstruction I: Concepts in Stratigraphy and Geochronology. There is a particular focus here on the theories and practical applications of Quaternary palaeoecology, the study of interactions between organisms and their environment in ecosystems of past. The unit delivers training in the application of practical skills with a focus on the generation, analysis and interpretation of palynology (pollen analysis), as well as training in the use of secondary data.
Aims
The unit aims to:
- Provide an understanding of the scope, methods and achievements of environmental reconstruction with a special focus on the development and application of practical skills in palaeoecology
- Teach students core concepts and scientific basis for methods in palaeoecology
- Provide an opportunity for developing and applying field-, practical-, numerical- and digital-skills in palaeoecology
- Develop advanced theoretical and practical capability in the application of pollen analysis commensurate with the MSc level and providing a foundation for independent dissertation research
Syllabus
Summary of content (subject to revision and scheduling)
1. Introduction to Palaeoecology (lecture) [2hr]
2. Field recovery of peat/lake sediments (day fieldtrip) [4hr]
3. Description and characterisation of organic sediments I (lecture + lab practical) [1+1 hr]
4. Description and characterisation of organic sediments II (lecture + lab practical) [1+1 hr]
5. Palynology I – pollen identification (lecture + lab practical) [1+1 hr]
6. Palynology II – pollen counting (lecture + lab practical) [1+1 hr]
7. Palynology III – creating the pollen diagram (lecture + computer practical) [1+1 hr]
8. Analysis of palaeoecological data I – zonation and rates of change (lecture + computer practical) [1+1 hr]
9. Analysis of palaeoecological data II – multivariate techniques (lecture + computer practical) [1+1 hr]
10. Analysis of palaeoecological data III – quantitative reconstruction (lecture + computer practical) [1+1 hr]
Teaching and learning methods
The classes will be delivered via a mix of lectures, laboratory sessions and practical classes. There will also be a one-day field course. Course materials will be delivered via Blackboard.
Knowledge and understanding
Describe the scope, history, aims and principal methods of palaeoecology
Describe the main features of organic deposits (peats) and relate these to past environmental conditions
Outline the different groups of palaeoecologically-important fossil groups and appraise their merits for environmental reconstruction
Identify the main pollen and spores found in British terrestrial deposits and correctly relate these to their source plants
Recall the main numerical approaches relevant for the description, characterisation and analysis of palaeoecological records.
Use key software packages (emphasis on freely available software) for plotting and analysis of palaeoeocological data.
Intellectual skills
Show a critical understanding of the nature of palaeoecological records and their interpretation in terms of environmental change
Apply critically the scientific method in the field and laboratory
Analyse and interpret numerical palaeoecological data with appreciation and understanding of the numerical methods
Summarise complex and noisy environmental datasets
Discriminate in the application of analytical approaches
Practical skills
Recovery of peat / sediment cores in the field
Stratigraphic description and sub-sampling of cores
Application of laboratory techniques for the characterisation of organic deposits (loss-on-ignition, C/N ratios)
Microscopic techniques for the identification of pollen and spores
Data handling for the creation of pollen diagrams
Numerical techniques for the analysis and interpretation of pollen data (diagram zonation, cluster analysis, ordination)
Transferable skills and personal qualities
Communication and writing skills
Cooperative learning (in a field and lab setting)
Working safely and efficiently in the field and laboratory
Numerical skills (multivariate data-handling and statistical analyses)
Digital skills (graphical presentation)
Time management and independent study
Assessment methods
Assessment activity | Length required | Weighting within unit |
1. Core log diagram (following sessions 3 & 4) | 1 page A4 | Formative |
2. Coursework essay (following sessions 1-7) | 1500 words | 50% |
3. Pollen analysis report (following sessions 8 & 9) | 1500 words + figures and tables | 50% |
Feedback methods
Written and oral feedback.
Recommended reading
- Bennett, K.D. and Willis, K.J., 2002. Pollen. In Tracking environmental change using lake sediments (pp. 5-32). Springer, Dordrecht.
- Berglund, B.E., 1986 (reprint 2003). Handbook of Holocene palaeoecology and palaeohydrology. John Wiley and Sons (883 p).
- Birks, H.J.B. and Berglund, B.E., 2018. One hundred years of Quaternary pollen analysis 1916–2016. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 27(2), pp.271-309.
- Birks, H.J.B., Lotter, A.F., Juggins, S. and Smol, J.P. eds., 2012. Tracking environmental change using lake sediments: data handling and numerical techniques (Vol. 5). Springer Science & Business Media.
- Lowe, J.J. and Walker, M.J., 2014. Reconstructing Quaternary Environments. Routledge.
- Stivrins, N. 2019. Principles of Palaeoecology. Amazon.
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 22 |
| Practical classes & workshops | 32 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 96 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Peter Ryan | Unit coordinator |
| William Fletcher | Unit coordinator |