Module

Voraussetzungen

Inhalte

This course combines lectures and hands-on sessions (with automated monitoring devices such as Audiomoth and InsectDetect) in groups to provide a basic introduction to the different methods used to survey and monitor biodiversity. These lectures and hands-on sessions introduce the students to the most common (and some emerging) methods to survey terrestrial biodiversity. This should provide students with a basic understanding of the methods they might use in future industrial (e.g. ecological consultancy) or research work. This includes methods such as audio recording of bats and birds, insect monitoring with pan traps and pitfall traps or camera trapping for larger mammals. The advantages, disadvantages and challenges of each method will be introduced. Practical examples using audio recorders (including deployment and data analysis) will be undertaken.

Lernziele

By the end of this course, students will be able to: - Demonstrate knowledge of the principles and methods of surveying different aspects of biodiversity. - Apply key concepts of survey design to ecological studies. - Apply AI tools (e.g. Birdnet) to automatically classify species from recordings Practical learning outcomes - Design a biodiversity survey for a given taxa using automated monitoring tools, from setup through data collection and analysis to scientific presentation. - Give a presentation on the proposed biodiversity study, including a background on the chosen taxon and region and justification of the experimental design.

Prüfungsleistung

• continuous assessment of activities during class (50 %) ; Regular in-class quizzes and/or reflections (appr. 10 minutes each time) Presentation of selected readings or practical activities conducted during the course. • Final written exam, 90 min (50 %)