Course description

Global change is a topic of great concern, but what does it mean for plants and plant communities? Increasing temperatures, decreasing rainfall, rising atmospheric CO2 levels, degrading soils, excess nutrients, salt, heavy metals or man-made chemicals impact on plants and their ecosystems. Change can mean altered presence of herbivores, pests and pathogens, or competition with aggressive weeds. To manage plants and their communities in a changing world, it is instrumental to understand how plants adapt to change. Course participants will investigate how plants fare in ecosystems - currently and in the future - and explore the processes that govern plant communities. Collaborating with government scientists and using an advanced web-interface, you will gain first-hand experience that include field visits, networking with practioners, and data collection for hypothesis-driven research on plant communities in southeast Queensland. Participants choose on-demand lectures and discussions and partake in small group activities to gain the skills essential for plant and ecosystem science sought after by employers and as foundation for postgraduate studies.

Archived offerings