Environmental Microbiology and Ecology (2202ENG)

This course introduces the importance of microorganisms to natural and designed ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles, trophic pathways and their beneficial applications. The course provides an understanding of the relationships between living organisms and their abiotic environment, and the living nature of soil, water and air. The course covers fundamentals including cellular transport, microbial growth, environmentally significant biochemical pathways and the taxonomic classification of autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms together with their resource requirements - light, oxygen and nutrients. Ecosystem concepts of food webs, energy flow and mineral cycles are introduced with particular emphasis on applications: decomposition, biogeochemical cycles, wastewater treatment, composting, bio- and phytoremediation, catchment management, and human and ecosystem health. The laboratories cover microbial biodiversity, techniques for the culture, staining and enumeration of microorganisms, animal and plant diversity with an emphasis on water quality and macroinvertebrate sampling, and environmental field monitoring.

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