BIOSCI 730 : Entomology

Science

2025 Semester Two (1255) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

More than half of all described species are insects, but collectively terrestrial arthropods are a hyper-diverse group found in almost every ecosystem, every trophic level above plants, and dominate terrestrial and freshwater food chains. The course explores the evolution of arthropods, their role in terrestrial ecosystems, and problems posed as biosecurity invaders in Aotearoa. A sound understanding of BIOSCI 338, or equivalent is assumed.

Course Overview

An exploration of terrestrial arthropods focusing on their diversity, evolution, ecology and their implications for biosecurity. Topics covered in seminars include (1) zoogeography and evolution: understanding the driving forces behind speciation, (2) ecology: investigating the critical roles of insects in ecosystems such as pollination, (3) insect biosecurity: evaluating the stages of invasion biology from dispersal, establishment, spread and impact, (4) whanaungatanga (understanding a worldview), and conservation of terrestrial arthropods.

Even though the main focus is insects, students who are interested in any terrestrial arthropod group are welcome to join this course.

This course provides an opportunity to review a wide range of entomology literature. Students will be provided a basic reading list for each seminar, but are expected to find related literature to broaden their understanding. It is very important that all students complete the assigned reading and come prepared to present their ideas and discuss the topic. Marks are allocated for participation in these discussions. The review assignment allows you to focus on a specific entomology topic that interests you, and, with individual mentoring by staff, synthesize and critique the literature in order to produce a publication quality review. Key aims of the course are to develop your critical thinking and your communication skills. These are skills highly valued by employers and will also be valuable if you continue in further postgraduate study.

For students who have not taken any entomology at undergraduate level, it is possible to successfully complete this course, but you will need to undertake a little extra reading to become familiar with the basics. Recommended reading before the course for non-entomologists (or those wanting a refresher) is the textbook Gullan, P. and Cranston, P. "The Insects: An Outline of Entomology" Chapter 1 and the Taxoboxes p493-525 (any edition, but page numbers are for 5th edition - there are multiple copies in UoA library)

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Describe and explain the dimensions and drivers of terrestrial arthropod diversity. (Capability 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7)
  2. Work collaboratively and/or individually to produce an informative infogram on biosecurity. (Capability 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8)
  3. Explain insect biosecurity, including the challenges presented in mitigating the ecological and economic impact. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
  4. Communicate informed critique or analysis of entomological issues across a range of mediums. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
  5. Demonstrate an understanding of of zoogeography, evolution and whakapapa (relationships) in a group of insects. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7)
  6. Develop an understanding of whanaungatanga and conservation. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Presentation 20% Group & Individual Coursework
Assignments: Insect review 35% Individual Coursework
Participation/Discussion 15% Group & Individual Coursework
Review Draft 10% Individual Coursework
Biosecurity Infogram 20% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6
Presentation
Assignments: Insect review
Participation/Discussion
Review Draft
Biosecurity Infogram

Key Topics

(1)  Evolution and speciation: understanding what has driven the diversity of insects.
(2) Ecology: investigating the critical roles of insects in ecosystems, such as pollination.
(3) Invertebrate biosecurity: evaluating the stages of invasion biology from dispersal, establishment, spread and impact.
(4) Zoogeography: critically evaluating hypotheses for the current distribution of invertebrate genera.
(5) Whanaungatanga and Conservation.

Special Requirements

Students must complete presentation on a terrestrial arthropod group of their choosing.
Students must complete and receive a pass grade for the Review (and Draft) assignment (45%).

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

 Average students are expected to spend 150 hours to achieve a pass.

Use the following as a guide:

Contact time = 20-22 hours; 

Insect review (including review outline) = 60 hours; 

Presentation: Terrestrial Arthropod = 10 hours; 

Infogram: Arthropod biosecurity = 20 hours;

Reading literature = 40 hours;

TOTAL 150 hours.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including seminars and tutorials to complete components of the course.
Learning activities including seminars and presentation will not be available as recordings and the powerpoint presentations (if used) are not available on Canvas.
The course will include live online events only when meeting with your Review assignment mentor.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

This course is mostly based on the refereed scientific literature. We refer students who lack a detailed understanding of entomology at undergraduate level to the following textbook which is available from the library as an eBook or hard copy, or which can be purchased from the University bookstore: Gullan, P. J., & Cranston, P. S. (2014). The insects: an outline of entomology. John Wiley & Sons.

Student Feedback

During the course Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the staff responsible for the course and staff-student consultative committees.

At the end of the course students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback.

Your feedback helps to improve the course and its delivery for all students.

In 2023, 71% of the students agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: "Overall, I was satisfied with the learning experience in this course."
Due to the size of the class a few assignments had to be redesigned.

Other Information

Compulsory attendance and participation in all seminars is required.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.

You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

The delivery mode may change depending on COVID restrictions. Any changes will be communicated through Canvas.

The delivery mode may change depending on COVID restrictions. Any changes will be communicated through Canvas.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 23/10/2024 08:20 a.m.