Find out how the Biological Sciences Department use our campus in their first year module 'Ecology and Conservation'.
We use the campus extensively, yet sensitively, for various teaching, research and outreach activities - from our on-campus apiary supporting our world-leading research on bees to engaging teaching activities for the next generation of scientists.
In the Biological Sciences Department's first-year module ‘Ecology and Conservation,' students engage in a hands-on project using model clay caterpillars to assess predation levels based on colour differences (green and red) by measuring bite marks inflicted by birds and mammals. Students create hundreds of these caterpillars, strategically placing them across campus for a week.
Subsequently, in small groups, students formulate questions or hypotheses, for example comparing predation between native versus non-native trees or different-sized caterpillars. Whatever the students choose to study, the results are always fascinating.
In the final part of the practical, students conduct a campus-wide bird survey, identifying and comparing bird species and abundance across various habitats.
