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A residential field course focussing on the identification and sampling of plants, in practical (field) conditions.
Who should take this course?Practical Field Botany is an intensive, short summer course designed to meet the need for training in the collection, preparation, and identification of botanical specimens. It will be valuable for students who intend to seek employment in areas such as field ecology, conservation, biodiversity, and taxonomy or biosystematics. It will also be of interest to members of the workforce who need to acquire or upgrade taxonomic skills, e.g., from Crown Research Institutes, Department of Conservation, Local and Regional Councils, Botanic Gardens, horticulture, and teaching. The course is targeted at participants with various entry levels: from students with a limited plant knowledge to experienced career professionals.General contentThis is a technique-based course. Examples used are from the montane and alpine flora of the Cass region but focus is on general principles, so that most acquired skills are transferable to other regions and other groups of organisms.Student Feedback“Thanks for a great week, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and am still dreaming of plant families! I appreciate the effort put in by yourself, Matt, Julie, Laura and Reijel throughout the course. The concept of an intensive field based course was exactly what I needed to improve my botanical knowledge and confidence”: John Skilton, Park Ranger/Project Manager Travis Wetland, Christchurch City Council.“I'm totally hooked on botany now, I absolutely loved the course! I have my first botanical survey to do next week, great timing!”: Marcia Dale, Ryder Consulting Limited.“Thank you for a fantastic class! I just finished six days of tramping in Mt Aspiring National Park- it was great to be able to recognize most of the plants there”: Xin Cheng, Auckland.
At the end of the course, students are expected to be able to:Spot-identify c. 80 species that are commonly found in various ecosystems in the Southern Alps(assessment task: final exam)Use traditional and online taxonomic keys to identify plants and to confirm identifications using aherbarium collection, literature and online resources (assessment task: final exam)Construct taxonomic keys (assessment task: unmarked assignment during workshop)Collect and prepare botanical specimens for scientific purposes and to record associated ecological data (assessment task: voucher specimen preparation assignment)Independently prepare and develop a reference collection with notes about diagnostic characters and ecological characteristics that serves as a practical aid to plant identification and recognition (assessment task: field reference collection assignment)Make decisions regarding plant collecting that are in accordance with regulations and ethicalconsiderations and that minimise environmental impact (assessment task: final exam)Find the currently accepted scientific name for a plant, understand classifications and name changes and use names to access information about New Zealand plants (assessment task: final exam)Take high-quality photographs of plants for scientific purposes and plant identification (assessment task: final exam and unmarked assignment during workshop)Understand basic ecological and systematic concepts and processes that are relevant tounderstanding patterns of botanical diversity in the Southern Alps (assessment task: final exam)Skills registerThe following skills are developed in this course:Collecting biological field data. Important for research and in governmental and non-governmental organizations.Plant identification. Essential in organismal biology, conservation, and biosecurity.Collecting, documenting, and preserving biological specimens. Key in, amongst others, ecology,systematics and conservation.Independent and self-motivated learning. A life-skill that is important in any career.Finding, understanding, and using information in literature and on the internet. These are verygeneral skills that are essential in many careers.Verbal communication. Expressing yourself clearly and concisely is important when you areattending meetings, having a telephone conversation, giving presentations, or teaching/training.Written communication. Many employers require employees to have good written communicationskills.
BIOL215 or subject to approval by the Head of the School of Biological Sciences
Tuesday 7 January 2014, afternoon: travel from UC campus to CassWednesday 8 – Tuesday 14 January 2014: field excursions and other course workWednesday 15 January 2014, morning: test; afternoon: travel back to UC campus(UC provides all transportation to, from, and at the Cass region)
Pieter Pelser
Julie Barcelona
Reijel Gardiner
All work submitted before leaving Cass.
Library portalCourse Outline Learn Site
Venue and areaThe venue for the Practical Field Botany course is the Mountain Biological Field Station at Cass, 105 km west of Christchurch in the mountains of the Waimakariri Basin. It is located near a wide range of habitats with a huge diversity of plants and animals. The field station provides comfortable accommodation, laboratory facilities, and internet access with the natural world at the doorstep. The course includes field excursions to the Waimakariri Basin, Southern Beech forest, West-coast forest, Otira Valley, and the Cragieburn Forest Park.Specific content• Preparation of a reference collection designed primarily for reference in the field and to access more detailed information about the plants.• Use of taxonomic keys. Learning how to use taxonomic keys, online resources, and herbarium specimens to identify unknown plants and how to check for correctness of identifications.• Construction of taxonomic keys. Participants will jointly collect specimens and field data, construct and test the key, then prepare their own keys. Participants will be able to work at different levels according to experience.• Collection of botanical specimens: collecting for maximum value and in accordance with regulations and ethical considerations.• Preparation of voucher specimens: why these are necessary and how to safeguard them. Demonstration and assessed practical exercise.• Plant photography: workshop on how to take high quality plant pictures for scientific purposes and plant identification.• Scientific names: how to find the correct name for a plant, understanding name changes, using names to access information. Lecture and discussion.• Distinguishing different patterns of variation in populations. Field and lab discussion.• Observation and discussion in the field of notable features of the New Zealand biota including examples of adaptive radiation, convergent evolution, adaptations to novel habitats, extreme structural modifications, and hybridisation.
It is essential that you are aware that plagiarism is considered a very serious offence by the Academic community, the University and the School of Biological Sciences. Plagiarism is defined as taking passages from another work or author and presenting it as if it is your own work. Plagiarism includes:• buying any form of assessed work e.g. essays, lab reports • re-use of previous assignments • copying of another student’s work (with or without their consent)• the unreferenced use of published material or material from the internet e.g. cutting and pasting of paragraphs or pages into an essay.For most pieces of in-term assessment you will be given information concerning the use of direct and indirect quotes from previously published work. If you are in any doubt about appropriate use of published material, please speak with a member of academic staff. If you are still unsure what plagiarism is, then seek advice.It is a School policy that courses may request you submit work electronically for subsequent analysis of originality using Turnitin. Students agree that by taking courses in BIOL, required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com site.
All assignments should be placed in the designated collection box in the foyer of the 4th floor of the School of Biological Sciences (near the Secretaries' Office), unless directed otherwise by the course co-ordinator. All assignments must be accompanied by a cover sheet signed by you stating that the submitted work is not plagiarised. Cover sheets are available on top of the collection boxes, or you can download one from the Biology website (under Undergraduate). In addition, you may also be asked to submit your work electronically (via Learn) for analysis in Turnitin. You will be given instructions on how to do this in the assignment handout. Marked assignments can be collected from the Secretaries' Office between the hours 9.30-10.30am and 1.30-2.30pm, unless directed otherwise by the course co-ordinator. Teaching staff will endeavour to return work as soon as possible, and should contact you if there are likely to be any delays that will prevent return within the maximum 4-week timeframe.
Domestic fee $777.00
International fee $3,563.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
This course will not be offered if fewer than 10 people apply to enrol.
Maximum enrolment is 25
For further information see School of Biological Sciences .