5 cr. (00977/00990); Prereq.: BIOS 173 or equivalent
Class: M, W 10:10-12:00 (Irvine 040) & F 10:10-12:00 (Irvine 040 or 044)
Instructor: Warren Currie – LSB 223; 597-1924; office hours by appointment
Text: Castro and Huber. Fifth edition. 2005. Marine Biology.
additional readings will be provided throughout the quarter
Content: Marine biology encompasses the entire field of biology, with the unifying theme of the ocean providing the underpinning for the discipline. As such, it incorporates the research of fields as diverse as ecology, molecular biology, physiology, and microbiology, as well as applied research in fisheries, conservation biology, aquaculture, pharmacology, resource management, and public policy. This course is intended to provide an overview of this diverse discipline. The first portion of the course focuses on the marine environment and an overview of the organisms found in the oceans. The next portion of the course covers the ocean edges, looking at specific habitat types such as kelp beds, rocky intertidal, coral reefs, and ice-edge ecosystems. The final portion of the course will investigate environmentally-relevant topics such as global warming, fisheries, harmful algal blooms, and pollution, and will include student presentations on selected topics. Lecture material will be supplemented with videos, computer demonstrations of ecological phenomena, and laboratory demonstrations of fauna likely to be encountered on field trip.
Students will work in small groups to prepare papers and give presentations on a particular topic, with each student contributing a specified portion (5 pages). References for the paper should include a brief summary of each reference’s content. Oral presentations will be made during the week following the field trip on the subject of the research paper; these presentations will be required but will not be graded. Graduate students will prepare their own individual research paper (10 pgs) and give an oral presentation to the class.
Policies:
Grading: based 30% on each of two hourly exams during the quarter, 20% research paper, 5% on reference list (with summaries) for research paper; 5% oral report; and 5% on field trip journal. Recognizing that some students may have conflicts at the end of the quarter, the field trip is optional, and if the student is unable to attend, the oral presentation will count for 10% of grade. There is no final exam in this course; class ends with completion of field trip and class presentations. Makeup exam requires 24 hr notification or note from doctor; content of makeup exam is at instructor's discretion.
Attendance is both recommended and expected.
Cases of academic dishonesty will be submitted to the student judiciary.
| Lecture Schedule: | Additional Readings |
| week 1. Introduction-the environment (Chapter 1, 2) 03/28 Intro and History + Geology 03/30 The Seafloor and Ocean provinces 04/01 No Lab | |
| week 2. Seawater and Oceanography (Chapter 3) 04/04 Properties of Seawater 04/06 Ocean circulation 04/08 lab | |
| week 3. Organisms (Ch 7, 8) 04/11 Invertebrates 1 04/13 Invertebrates 2 04/15 Fishes & Adaptations | |
| week 4. Organisms con’t (Ch 9) 04/18 Reptiles, Birds, Mammals 04/20 Midterm Exam I 04/22 Primary Production --- (handouts 4/pg) |
|
| week 5. Primary producers (Ch 6, 5) 04/25 Algae --- (handouts 4/pg) 04/27 Invertebrate and Plankton Lab 04/29 Microbial Food Webs / Video |
|
| week 6. Plankton (Ch 15)
05/02 Plankton & Larvae --- (handouts 4/pg) 05/04 Estuaries --- (handouts 4/pg) 05/06 Video / Field Equipment Demo |
|
| week 7. Habitats (Ch 11 - 16) 05/09 Intertidal --- (handouts 4/pg) 05/11 Coral Reefs --- (handouts 4/pg) 05/13O Ocean Depths Video |
|
| week 8. Habitats con’t
05/16 Ocean Depths --- (handouts 4/pg) 05/18 Vent Community --- (handouts 4/pg) 05/20 Review/Lab/Video | |
|
week 9. Human Impacts (Ch 17, 18)
05/23 Human Impacts --- (handouts 4/pg) 05/25 Midterm Exam II Memorial Day Weekend - Fieldtrip 05/27 05/28 05/29 05/30 | |
| week 10. Presentations 06/01 06/03 |
Possible topics for class presentations:
coastal zone management
oil pollution
marine symbioses
sea grass ecosystems
species invasions
bycatch
|