Free Online Course: Introduction to Ecosystems

If we don’t grasp why ecosystems function, it becomes harder to determine possible reasons for when they don’t, and makes it difficult to identify possible environmental threats to humans.

Humans have an impact that is felt worldwide. We interact with our environment in a myriad ways, often without thought to the consequences. An ecosystem is a group of organisms and non-living components linked by processes of energy transfer and cycling of components and, unless we understand the links, we cannot limit damage, conserve or restore.

This emphasises that the study of ecosystems is a core part of biological science. We need to recognise the importance of studying ecosystems, define them and their components, and investigate how they work.

All Open University science courses presented on FutureLearn are produced with the kind support of Dangoor Education.

This course is intended for those with an interest in natural history, conservation or the environment and does not require any previous experience of studying these subjects.

Deadline: the course starts 24 October 2016.

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“Free Online Course: Introduction to Ecosystems”