School Of Natural SciencesEcosystems and AgricultureWestern Sydney University Unit Code: 300526.1
Discipline: AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
Student Contribution Band: 2
Level: 2
Credit Points: 10
Assumed Knowledge
Basic knowledge of plants, animals, soils and climate would be an advantage.
Equivalent Units
EY103A - Ecosystems and Agriculture
Unit Enrolment Restrictions
Students will need closed in shoes for field work and closed in shoes, laboratory coats
and safety glasses for laboratory work.
About this Unit
From 2010 this unit will be replaced by 300619 - Ecology of Production. Students will study key processes that drive agricultural production
(energetics and nutrient cycling) and the importance of maintaining natural
vegetation, within-agroecosystem biodiversity and ecological processes to
obtain sustainable production benefits. Students will create an inventory
of natural resources on the Hawkesbury Campus, which will be analysed to
determine production capabilities and environmental limitations.
Students will gain a basic understanding of selected ecological issues in
Australian agriculture, and of current strategies and initiatives to address
these issues, including management of feral plants and animals, use of
genetically modified organisms, and management of greenhouse gas
emissions, carbon cycling and carbon credits.