AB-201
Terrestrial Arctic Biology (15 ECTS)

	Course period:	Autumn semester, annually
	Language of instruction:	English
	Credit reduction/overlap:	None
	Grade:	Letter grade (A through F)
	Course materials:	Curriculum ca. 650 pages based on scientific papers and book chapters
	Course responsible:	Pernille Bronken Eidesen
	Course costs:	Field costs NOK 1400 (7 days scientific cruise x NOK 200 per day)

Required previous knowledge/specific course requirements:
60 ECTS within general natural sciences, of which 30 ECTS within the field of biology.

Learning outcome:

Knowledge about the development, structure and function of arctic terrestrial and fresh water biological communities. Thorough understanding of environmental problems in terrestrial and limnic environments. Develop skills in planning a small research project, collect field data, analyse data, and write a scientific report.

Academic content:
The course offers an introduction to terrestrial and fresh water biological communities of the Arctic, approached by considering the development of the arctic terrestrial biota, adaptations of organisms to Arctic terrestrial habitats and how the organism interacts, both within and between trophic levels, with a special emphasis on the vascular plants and invertebrate fauna of Svalbard. The role of the climatic history and the current physical conditions of the Arctic as well as the biological interactions in shaping arctic communities will be explored in comparison with communities of other terrestrial and limnic regions. The structure and diversity of plant communities, both at species and gene level, will be studied in relation to evolutionary history, plant traits, climate, soil properties, soil micro-flora and herbivory.

For invertebrates, the emphasis will be on the ecology of those groups that are of greatest significance on Svalbard. Limnology is included as an element of this course with both field projects and linked lectures. Among the vertebrates the ecology of terrestrial birds and mammals and freshwater fish will be discussed. The link between terrestrial and marine ecosystems through seabirds and sea-mammals will be discussed, but this will be dealt with in more detail in the course AB-202 Marine Arctic Biology.

Teaching methods and activities:
The course extends over a full semester.

Total lecture hours: 50 hours.
Total seminar hours: 20 hours.
Laboratory work: 6 days.
Excursion: 10 days (7 days field cruise, 3 days in the vicinity of Longyearbyen).

Compulsory assignment:

Participation in field excursions.

Assessment:

All assessments must be fulfilled in order to receive a final grade.

AB-201 students on fieldwork in Kongsfjorden. (Photo: Steve Coulson/UNIS).