The final grade will result from the student performance in all the activities under evaluation, which will include the three parts of the subject: Theory,Seminars and Labs, with a contribution to the final grade proportional to its contribution in time planning: 60% Theory, 20% Seminars and 20% Labs. All students will have two opportunities to pass the course:

In the first opportunity, a continuous evaluation will be carried out,including assignments, mid-term tests and a final exam (on a date set by the Faculty Board), with the following relative weighting: 60% Theory (30% mid-term tests + 30% final exam), 20% Seminars (10% assignments + 10% final exam), 20% Labs (10% assignments + 10% final exam).

In the second opportunity, there will be only a single final exam
(on a date set by the Faculty Board) that will include questions on the three
parts of the subject with the following relative weighting:

60% Theory

20% Seminars

20% Labs

Both in the first and in the second opportunities it will be necessary
to pass each and every one of the three parts simultaneously (Theory, Seminars
and Labs) to pass the subject. A failed part may be offset with others if its
grade is at least 4/10. The average grade to pass the course must be a 5.0 out
of 10. Those students who submit and/or attend to any of the continuous evaluation
activities will be considered as presented (attended), receiving the
corresponding grade for the work submitted and/or tests carried out according
to their weighting, and a grade of zero in those works and/or tests in which
they have not presented anything or not attended to. In the event of not submitting any assignments and not taking any of the tests, the student will be considered as “not
presented” (NP).

Attendance to Seminars and Labs is not mandatory, but will be recorded.

The assignments to be handed in linked
to Seminars and Labs will consist on exercises of the activities carried out in
Seminars and Labs. Those reports will be prepared and handed in following the
indications given by the professor in charge of the subject (format, content,
deadlines, etc.) and their qualification will be subject to individual oral
examination, if necessary. These exercises must collect the work and
interpretation of each student.

The achievement of the Honours
mark (maximum qualification) will require, at least, a final grade of 9.0 or
higher, and the execution of all the assignments of the course.

For students who can use the
early December opportunity, the evaluation will consist of a final global exam
with a value of 100%, similar to that described for the second opportunity.

Students with officially recognized academic exemption are able to
participate in the proposed or equivalent activities and will have support by
tutoring (onsite or online).

The fraudulent execution of the exam or activities (once verified) will directly imply the failing of the subject and a grade of '0' in the corresponding call (first and second opportunities).

Learning outcomes	Study programme competences
To describe ecological concepts at the individual, population, community and ecosystem level.	A1 A24
To discuss ecological concepts by critically considering the evidence in support of them.		B8
To face with some success the specialised literature.	A30
To use some basic techniques from the vast ecological methodology.	A17 A20 A21 A26 A30	B4 B6 B7 B12

Topic	Sub-topic
Section 1. Ecology and evolution (2h)	Unit 1. An introduction to ecology and evolution
Section 2. The individual and the environment (10h)	Unit 2: Overview of the individual-environment relationship Unit 3: Responses and adaptations to the abiotic environment (temperature) Unit 4: Responses and adaptations to the abiotic environment (light) Unit 5: Responses and adaptations to the abiotic environment (water). Unit 6: Nutrition in animals and plants Unit 7: The biotic component of the medium Unit 8: Dispersion in Animals and Plants
Section 3. The ecosystem (12h)	Unit 9: An introduction to the ecosystem and its functioning Unit 10: Production in ecosystems Unit 11: Energy flows but matter cycles in ecosystems Unit 12: Biogeochemical cycles

Methodologies / tests	Competencies	Ordinary class hours	Student’s personal work hours	Total hours
Guest lecture / keynote speech	A1 A17 A20 A21 A24 A26 A30 B4 B6 B7 B8 B12	28	56	84
Laboratory practice	A1 A17 A20 A21 A24 A26 A30 B4 B6 B7 B8 B12	15	15	30
Seminar	A1 A17 A20 A21 A24 A26 A30 B4 B6 B7 B8 B12	8	8	16
Multiple-choice questions	A1 A17 A20 A21 A24 A26 A30 B4 B6 B7 B8 B12	0	1	1
Case study	A1 A17 A20 A21 A24 A26 A30	0	14	14
Objective test	A1 A17 A20 A21 A24 A26 A30 B4 B6 B7 B8 B12	3	0	3

Personalized attention		2	0	2

(*)The information in the planning table is for guidance only and does not take into account the heterogeneity of the students.

Methodologies	Description
Guest lecture / keynote speech	Oral presentations to transfer knowledge and facilitate learning. Most of the graphical support of presentations is available in the virtual campus (Moodle).
Laboratory practice	For the students to learn effectively through the completion of practical activities in the field and/or in the laboratory.
Seminar	Demonstration and study of numerical models for a better understanding and resolution of ecological problems. Most models will be executed with UDC PCs if students do not have their own laptops.
Multiple-choice questions	Partial examination of the subject (mid-term). One or two mid-terms will take place during the course. They will not be eliminatory but together they will count 30% of the final grade. The multiple-choice partial exams (mid-terms) will be carried out via the Moodle platform.
Case study	Reports of the activities carried out in Seminars and Practicums.
Objective test	Written exam on all sections of the course: theory, practicals and seminars.

Methodologies	Competencies	Description	Qualification
Objective test	A1 A17 A20 A21 A24 A26 A30 B4 B6 B7 B8 B12	Final written exam of the contents of the ENTIRE subject: theory, practices and seminars (see observations). 50%	50
Multiple-choice questions	A1 A17 A20 A21 A24 A26 A30 B4 B6 B7 B8 B12	Partial exam/s or mid-terms of the subject developed throughout the course (see observations) 30%	30
Case study	A1 A17 A20 A21 A24 A26 A30	Reports of the activities developed in Seminars and Practices (see observations). 20%	20

Assessment comments
The final grade will result from the student performance in all the activities under evaluation, which will include the three parts of the subject: Theory,Seminars and Labs, with a contribution to the final grade proportional to its contribution in time planning: 60% Theory, 20% Seminars and 20% Labs. All students will have two opportunities to pass the course: In the first opportunity, a continuous evaluation will be carried out,including assignments, mid-term tests and a final exam (on a date set by the Faculty Board), with the following relative weighting: 60% Theory (30% mid-term tests + 30% final exam), 20% Seminars (10% assignments + 10% final exam), 20% Labs (10% assignments + 10% final exam). In the second opportunity, there will be only a single final exam (on a date set by the Faculty Board) that will include questions on the three parts of the subject with the following relative weighting: 60% Theory 20% Seminars 20% Labs Both in the first and in the second opportunities it will be necessary to pass each and every one of the three parts simultaneously (Theory, Seminars and Labs) to pass the subject. A failed part may be offset with others if its grade is at least 4/10. The average grade to pass the course must be a 5.0 out of 10. Those students who submit and/or attend to any of the continuous evaluation activities will be considered as presented (attended), receiving the corresponding grade for the work submitted and/or tests carried out according to their weighting, and a grade of zero in those works and/or tests in which they have not presented anything or not attended to. In the event of not submitting any assignments and not taking any of the tests, the student will be considered as “not presented” (NP). Attendance to Seminars and Labs is not mandatory, but will be recorded. The assignments to be handed in linked to Seminars and Labs will consist on exercises of the activities carried out in Seminars and Labs. Those reports will be prepared and handed in following the indications given by the professor in charge of the subject (format, content, deadlines, etc.) and their qualification will be subject to individual oral examination, if necessary. These exercises must collect the work and interpretation of each student. The achievement of the Honours mark (maximum qualification) will require, at least, a final grade of 9.0 or higher, and the execution of all the assignments of the course. For students who can use the early December opportunity, the evaluation will consist of a final global exam with a value of 100%, similar to that described for the second opportunity. Students with officially recognized academic exemption are able to participate in the proposed or equivalent activities and will have support by tutoring (onsite or online). The fraudulent execution of the exam or activities (once verified) will directly imply the failing of the subject and a grade of '0' in the corresponding call (first and second opportunities).

Basic	Alstad DN (2001). Basic Populus models of ecology. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Smith TM & Smith RL (2007). Ecología. Madrid: Pearson Rodríguez J (2010). Ecología. Pirámide Piñol J & Martínez-Vilalta J (2006). Ecología con números. Barcelona: Lynx Begon M, Harper JL & Townsend CR (1999). Ecología: individuos, poblaciones y comunidades. Barcelona: Omega Ricklefs RE (1998). Invitación a la ecología: la economía de la naturaleza. Madrid: Panamericana Alstad DN (). www.cbs.umn.edu/populus. Piñol J & Martínez-Vilalta J (). www.ecologiaconnumeros.uab.es.
	One of the basic references for seminars is Piñol & Martínez-Vilalta (EC-650). The models in the CD included in this book are also available in its web page. From Alstad’s link the program “Populus” can be freely downloaded, containing models on general biology and also others for some particular seminars. It includes a PopulusHelp.PDF (mostly in English) that was edited as a book in 2001 (EC-505). For most of these basic references there are more recent editions and also English versions.
Complementary	Gotelli NJ (1995). A primer of ecology. Sinauer Margalef R (1974). Ecología. Barcelona: Omega Molles M (2006). Ecología: Conceptos y Aplicaciones. McGraw Hill Krebs CJ (1986). Ecología: el análisis experimental de la distribución y la abundancia. Pirámide Odum EP, Barret GW (2006). Fundamentos de ecología. Mexico: Thomson
	There are more recent editions of these complementary references, and also English versions.

Other comments
Understanding rather than memorization is favored.