Unit of Study SCIN1005 Organisms and Environments (2025)

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Unit Snapshot

Unit type

UG Coursework Unit
Credit points

12
Faculty & College

Faculty of Science and Engineering
Placement

No

Enrolment information

There will be a 2-day compulsory residential for Online students that will be held on the Lismore campus. Please refer to http://scu.edu.au/timetables for further information on timetables.

Unit description

Examines the evolution and diversity of life on earth and introduces the principles of species classification and naming. Consideration is given to the individual, population, community and ecosystem levels of organisation. Aspects of human ecology and human impact on the environment are introduced. Field trips will introduce students to qualitative observation of ecosystems and quantitative analysis of organisms in their environment.

Unit content

1 Overview of the diversity of life, taxonomy, and classification

2 Evolution and speciation

3 Structure and function of plants and fungi

4 Structure and function of animals

5 Ecology fundamentals I: interactions, population ecology, and community structure

6 Ecology fundamentals II: Community dynamics, disturbance, biogeography, and conservation

Availabilities

Location	Domestic	International
Lismore	Term4	Term4
National Marine Science Centre Coffs Harbour	Term4	Term4
Online	Term4	Term4

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:

describe the different scales of life within the environment and the evolution and diversity of organisms

understand the principles of naming and classifying species and apply taxonomic keys for species identification

undertake field sampling to describe and assess the characteristics of species, populations, and communities

effectively illustrate and present biological concepts at the organism to ecosystem scales.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching method

Workshop 1 hour (Weekly)

Tutorial 2 hours (Weekly)

Assessment
Quiz	15%
Report	50%
Practical	35%

Teaching method

Workshop 1 hour (Weekly)

Tutorial 2 hours (Weekly)

Assessment
Quiz	15%
Report	50%
Practical	35%

Teaching method

Workshop 1 hour (Weekly)

Residential 2 days (Once)

Assessment
Quiz	15%
Report	50%
Practical	35%

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts

Prescribed text information is not currently available.

Prescribed Resources/Equipment

Prescribed resources/equipment information is not currently available.

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.

Find out more for domestic fees