Unit of Study MRNE2009 Invertebrate Life (2024)

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Unit Snapshot

Unit type

UG Coursework Unit
Credit points

12
Faculty & College

Faculty of Science and Engineering
Placement

No

Unit description

Introduces the diversity of invertebrate taxa, diagnostic features, biological attributes and roles in the environment. Practicals skills will include sampling, sorting and identification of species for rapid biodiversity assessment and students will prepare and display a properly annotated photographic or specimen reference collection.

Unit content

1. Invertebrate evolution, taxonomy and diversity

2. Multicellularity, symmetry and development of tissue layers: sponges and coelenterates

3. Soft-bodied invertebrates: "worms" and molluscs

4. Invertebrates with exoskeletons: arthropods

5. The deuterostomes: echinoderms and early chordates

6. Ecosystem services and invertebrate bioindicators

Availabilities

Location	Domestic	International
National Marine Science Centre Coffs Harbour	Term2	Term2
Online	Term2	Term2

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

identify and classify invertebrate taxa based on diagnostic characteristics

assess the importance of invertebrates as indicators of ecosystem health and the ecosystem services they provide

apply field methods for sampling invertebrates and methods for assessing diversity

demonstrate presentation skills and knowledge of the requirements for preparing a properly annotated invertebrate reference collection.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching method

Workshop 1 hour (Weekly)

Tutorial 2 hours (Weekly)

Assessment
Risk Assessment	20%
Quiz	20%
annotated invertebrate reference collection and presentation	60%

Teaching method

Workshop 1 hour (Weekly)

Tutorial 2 hours (Weekly)

Assessment
Risk Assessment	20%
Quiz	20%
annotated invertebrate reference collection and presentation	60%

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts

No prescribed texts.

Prescribed Resources/Equipment

No prescribed resources/equipment.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.

Fee information

Domestic

Commonwealth Supported courses
For information regarding Student Contribution Amounts please visit the Student Contribution Amounts.

Fee paying courses
For postgraduate or undergraduate full-fee paying courses please check Domestic Postgraduate Fees OR Domestic Undergraduate Fees.

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