BOTA 31022

>< Type/ Status : Core
>< Course title : Ecology & Environmental Resources Management Laboratory
>< Corequisite(s) : BOTA 31014
>< Objective: At the end of the course, the student will be able to enhance skills on gathering, analysis and presentation of ecological data and information, adopting methods for vegetation sampling and analysis that are required for environmental assessment with a view to manage environmental resources.
>< Course content:

Determination of pH, water status, porosity, organic matter content, cation exchange capacity, PO43- and NO3- concentration of soil. Identification of species of aquatic, xerophytic, sea shore, salt marsh and mangrove and forest ecosystems of Sri Lanka and their ecological adaptations. Measurement of water quality. Use of quadrat and plotless sampling methods to determine the vegetation structure of grasslands and forests, use of biodiversity and habitat evaluation systems for environmental resources management.

>< Methodology: Laboratory and field exercises
>< Scheme of evaluation: End of course practical examination and field trip reports.
>< Recommended reading:
01. Amarasinghe, M (2001). Laboratory Manual on 'Vegetation Sampling Methods'. Department of Botany, University of Kelaniya .
02. Brower, J E; Zar, J H and Ende, C N (1990). Field and Laboratory Methods for General Ecology, 4th Edition, NCB McGraw-Hill.

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