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This is a residential course (self-catering in a beautiful old cottage on the Arne Peninsula) based in rural Dorset during the month of May. The course will be delivered through a combination of lectures (2-3 hours in the mornings for 5 days), fieldwork (late morning to late afternoon) and laboratory sessions (late afternoon and some evenings). Fieldwork will take place in a range of environments including shallow lakes, ponds, chalky rivers, ditches and coastal lagoons. The course will also cover aquatic conservation issues and the general natural history of the area. It will be a real natural history-lovers treat! Aside from wetland plants, we will use this course as a means of talking on general countryside conservation issues and of introducing characteristic birds, plants and animals of the area, including some special surprises.

The following specific topics are covered:

• structure and ecology of freshwater-brackish aquatic plants
• role of aquatic macrophytes in aquatic ecological functioning
• methods for surveying aquatic macrophytes
• design of sampling programmes for water plants
• taxonomy and identification of aquatic macrophytes
• importance of aquatic macrophytes to conservation and water legislation

The module aims:

• to introduce students to the structure, ecology and identification of aquatic macrophytes, including the full range of wetland plants
• to provide students with practical skills in the field sampling of aquatic macrophytes in lakes, rivers, ponds and wetlands in general

Please note that the cost of the field class to students is approximately £300.Ìý If student numbers fall below 10 this module may not run.