Practical Skills in Biology

A very well written and illustrated textbook with key points explained clearly - great for supporting lab practicals and field study activities Michael Hayes, Practical Work Co-ordinator, Manchester Metropolitan University.If you are a student of biology then this book will be an indispensable companion throughout your entire degree programme. It lucidly demonstrates the laboratory and field skills that you will draw on time and again for the practical aspects of your studies, and also gives you a solid grounding in those wider transferable skills which are increasingly necessary to achieve a higher level of academic success. Now in its fifth edition, Practical Skills in Biology has been enhanced and updated throughout to provide a complete and easy-to-read guide to developing the skills you need, and establishes its reputation as the practical resource for students of biology and biological science.Key Features:Provides a 'one-stop' guide to the key practical skills needed in biology, including comprehensive coverage of: study and examination skills; fundamental laboratory and field skills; investigative and analytical techniques; analysis and presentation of data. Contains numerous margin tips and hints, ‘how to’ boxes, checklists and examples. Key points highlight critical features of methodology. Includes numerous study exercises, references and sources for further study.New for this edition:Expanded coverage of environmental investigations in a new section covering: ecological analyses; analysis of aquatic environments; analysis of soils and sediments and measuring atmospheric variables. New chapters on bioethics, chemical analysis, photosynthesis and respiration, stable isotopes and electrophoresis. New material on tutorial groups, note-making, effective learning, extended matching item questions, exam skills, use of ‘office’ software for academic purposes, academic reasoning, writing a project proposal, virtual dissections and use of digital photography. Additional ‘how to’ boxes covering: carrying out a skills audit; accommodating different teaching styles; active revision; analysis of literature and estimating O2 by the Winkler method . Guidance related to MSOffice programs updated to 2007 version throughout. Now supported by a Companion Website containing answers to study exercises, live links to additional sources, digital copies of all figures, and versions of guidance related to MSOffice 2003. Allan Jones is Senior Lecturer and Chancellor’s Award Fellow in Ecology, Environmental Science and Zoology at the University of Dundee, UK.Jonathan Weyers is Director of Quality Assurance at the University of Dundee, UKRob Reed is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) at CQUniversity, Australia.