About Ecology

Introduction

Courses in Ecology are taught jointly by staff from several departments including Botany, Geography, Marine Science and Zoology with staff with interests related to ecology in a range of other departments (e.g. Geology, Information Science, and Maths and Statistics). The degree programmes are overseen by the Ecology Board of Studies and the Director of the Ecology Degree.

What is Ecology?

Ecology is the study of organisms, their interactions, and their relations with their environments.

Why Study Ecology?

Interest in environmental and ecological issues along with public and governmental concern and debate over such matters have created a need for scientifically trained ecologists. An Ecology degree produces graduates with the training and background to make rational judgments and provide advice on ecological matters. The University of Otago offers Ecology Majors in the degrees BSc, BSc Honours, Postgraduate Diploma in Science, and MSc.

Ecology at the University of Otago

Southern New Zealand encompasses a very wide range of habitats, from marine to alpine, and from inland semi-arid to coastal. This diversity of plants and animals, habitats, and ecosystems is reflected in the strong ecological interests, in both teaching and research, of various departments at the University of Otago. Many of the papers offered by these departments involve field work and laboratory work which familiarise students with these habitats and the particular ecological/environmental issues associated with them.

Ecology is a multidisciplinary subject. The University of Otago has one of the largest concentrations of ecologists of any New Zealand university. There are ecologists, and other scientists with ecological interests, in the Departments of Botany, Chemistry, Geography, Geology, Information Science, Marine Science, Maths and Statistics, Surveying, Zoology and the Wellington School of Medicine. These departments collaborate to teach undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Ecology, focusing on the biological background to Ecology. Ecology forms a continuum with the Environmental Science programme. There is an active Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation Research Group comprising over 35 academic staff, from eight different departments.