4.00 Credits
This is an upper-level seminar and laboratory course exploring in detail an advanced topic in marine biology. Topics can include new areas of marine biology, threatened and endangered marine mammals, and marine resource biology. Three previous credits of 300 level Biology (C- or higher) is required. Topics vary by semester. Recent topics include:
Biodiversity: This course will explore the range of life on Earth from microbes to humans. Representatives of all recognized kingdoms, their evolutionary history and ecological interactions, will constitute the focus of this course. Students will research various topics for class discussions and presentations, based on selected readings and primary texts.
Polar Biology: : The Arctic and Antarctic are literally poles apart, not only geographically, but with respect to the organisms that have adapted to these extreme environments. This seminar course compares and contrasts the two polar regions: the Antarctic, a continent surrounded by the vast Southern Ocean, and the Arctic, an ocean surrounded by land. A multidisciplinary approach to the study of polar organisms (including evolution, ecology, physiology, geology, paleontology, oceanography, meteorology, anthropology, and conservation) affords students from a variety of backgrounds an opportunity to investigate topics of particular interest to them while learning much about life at the "ends of the Earth." A major component of this course involves student research projects based on primary literature.
Tropical Biology: Tropical biology deals with the equatorial regions circling the earth between latitudes 23 1 2 degrees north (Tropic of Cancer) and south (Tropic of Capricorn). Included here are some of the world's richest and most threatened ecosystems. Tropical rainforests, for example, cover only 7% of the earth's surface but contain over half of its biodiversity; less than 5% of these forests are formally protected by parks and reserves. This course will examine tropical ecosystems worldwide, including forests, savannas, rivers and floodplains, mangroves and coral reefs, with emphasis on the Neotropics. We will address conservation issues facing these threatened regions as human populations increase and resources are strained.
CORAL REEF BIOLOGY: This course is designed to give students an overall view of the biology of coral reefs. Topics to be covered will include the making of a coral reef, community structure, pharmaceuticals from the sea, customary marine tenure, artificial reefs and reef rehabilitation, the role of coral reefs in the carbon cycle, reef management, the health of the world's reefs, and discussion of the Coral Reef Initiative. We will also read and discuss current journal publications concerning bleaching events, marine protected areas, and weather and anthropogenic effects to the health of the world's coral reefs.
Conservation Ecology of the Caribbean Conservation Ecology of the Caribbean: This course will cover topics such as the history and geology of the Caribbean with an emphasis on Trinidad and Tobago, terrestrial, island and marine biodiversity, and the ecology and evolution of populations. We will also discuss the impact of an agriculturally based economy versus a tourist economy on the environment in general and the reef in particular. We will discuss NGOs and examine some international environmental treaties as well as focus on particular national and international conservation approaches using the Caribbean as an example. Other topics include community-based management and local wildlife policies as well as study the history of the establishment of a rainforest as a natural preserve. The prerequisites are Bio 100 and 101.
Fisheries Biology: This course is designed to acquaint students with contemporary fisheries management concepts and practices with emphasis on techniques used to assess the biological characteristics of exploited fish populations, Atlantic Northwest commercial fishing methods, and economic aspects of the U.S. commercial fishing industry will be discussed in detail. Students will gain an understanding of the concepts and applications of ecosystem management, biological diversity, the Endangered Species Act, and habitat restoration, as they apply to fisheries management. Guest speakers will bring their work-related knowledge and experiences to the students. (Prereq: MAT 190,BIO 331 or equivalent; instructor permission may be required)
Physiological Ecology of Fish: This course will provide students with an overview of the physical, chemical and biological limitations that fish face in the marine environment and how these organisms have adapted to meet these challenges in order to obtain energy, grow and reproduce. The laboratory will consist of a field trip to the Florida keys where students will conduct physiological experiments on various fish species. (Prereq: BIO 250; instructor permission may be required)