1. What is an ecosystem?

energy flows - trophic levels - biomass - gross primary productivity (GPP) - net primary productivity (NPP)

2. Nutrient and energy cycling         

nutrient stores and flows - nutrient cycling between soil, biomass and litter - cation exchange

  3. Plant succession  

psammosere - halosere - evolution of plants and soil together over time - natural and human factors - colonisation - succession - dominance - climax - diversity

4. Soil formation

climate - parent material - vegetation - relief - rate of weathering - time - human interference

5. Soil processes        

eluviation - illuviation - chelation - leaching - podsolisation - lessivage

 6. Soil classification   

mor/moder/mull - zonal/intrazonal/azonal - podsol - brown earth - gley - rendzina

7. Fieldwork: Norfolk

hypothesis testing, statistics, data collection and presentation, analytical skills - not until next year