Voyage: Fall 2015 Discipline: Biology Course Title: Introduction to Marine Biology Division: Lower Division Faculty Name: Dr Christine Dudgeon Credit Hours: 3; Contact Hours: 38 Pre-requisites: SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS University of Virginia, Academic Sponsor COURSE DESCRIPTION This course provides a general introduction to the diversity of life in the world s marine habitats. The oceans and seas cover 70% of the surface of the earth and are home to a vast array of organisms that have adapted to diverse habitats, including coral reefs, estuarine systems, open oceans and the deep sea. During the course students will be introduced to the major taxonomic groups found in these habitats as well as the chemical, physical, geological and astronomical features that influence their environments. Interactions between humans and the marine environment will also be investigated. Special attention will be given to migratory marine organisms, the tools and techniques used to study them and the conservation and management issues surrounding animals that cross international borders. COURSE OBJECTIVES The specific goals of this course are to gain an understanding of: -The diversity of organisms that live in marine environments and their special adaptations. -How physical and chemical processes created the oceans and drive their current features. -The interactions of organisms with each other and their habitats, as well as the flow of energy through marine trophic cascades. -The scientific process and its application in marine studies. -What special techniques are used to study marine habitats and organisms. -The past and current relationships between humans and the oceans. -The unique conservation challenges for different marine species, communities and habitats. -The important role that healthy oceans have in maintain a healthy planet. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AUTHOR: Castro & Huber TITLE: Marine Biology 9e PUBLISHER: McGraw Hill ISBN #: 978-0-07-352420-7 1
DATE/EDITION: 2013 / 9 th Edition TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE *Each 75min course period will consist of a 50-60 minute lecture following key components of the selected chapter from the Introduction to Marine Science textbook. The remaining time will be allocated to a number of activities. Prior to a port stay the time will be used to brief the students on relevant aspects of the port with respect to the course following the lecture. Following a port stay this time will be used to debrief and discuss relevant aspects of the port stay prior to the lecture. During longer sailing periods this time will be used to go through assignment requirements, prepare the students for field labs, report writing and enable discussion sessions. Embark - September 13 A1 - September 15: The Science of Marine Biology. Reading - Chapter 1. What is the history of marine science? What is the scientific process? How do you formulate and test hypotheses? A2 - September 17: The Sea Floor. Reading Chapter 2. How did the oceans form? What are the geological features of the oceans and how do they drive what we see today? Civitavecchia September 19-22 Naples September 23-24 A3 - September 25: Review Italy Chemical and Physical Features of Seawater and the World Ocean. Reading Chapter 3. What are the fundamental properties of water? How do these properties change in different saltwater environments? What are some of the tools used to measure these properties? A4 - September 27: Some Basics of Biology. Reading - Chapter 4. What are the building blocks of life? How are organisms organized and how do we organize biological diversity? Istanbul - September 29-October 3 A5 - October 04: Review Turkey. The microbial world. Reading Chapter 5. Why are microbes so important? How diverse are microbes? How do different microbes differ in their structures and functions? Piraeus - October 6-10 A6 - October 11: Review Greece. Seaweeds and Plants. Reading Chapter 6. How do marine plants differ from their terrestrial counterparts? How do marine plants cope with 2
high salt environments? What role do marine plants play in coastal ecosystems and trophic cascades? A7 - October 13: Marine Animals without a Backbone. Reading Chapter 7. What are the major groups of marine invertebrates? How do body plans differ between these groups? How have they diversified across different habitat niches? What significant roles do invertebrates have in shaping marine communities? Valencia - October 15-16 Barcelona - October 17-19 A8 - October 20: Review Spain. Marine Vertebrates: Fishes, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals. Reading Chapter 8/9 What are the different lineages of fishes? How do fish body plans differ? What strategies do fish use to adapt to their environments? Casablanca - October 22-26 A9 - October 27: Review Morocco. Marine Vertebrates: Fishes, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals. Reading Chapter 8/9 When did birds, reptiles and mammals re-colonise the oceans? What different strategies do they use to live in saltwater environments? A10 - October 29: Marine Vertebrates: Fishes, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals. Reading Chapter 8/9. When did birds, reptiles and mammals re-colonise the oceans? What different strategies do they use to live in saltwater environments? Dakar October 31 November 3 A11 - November 4: Review Dakar. Marine Vertebrates: Fishes, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals. The tools of the trade: how do you study migratory marine animals? Field lab preparation for the Tamar Sea Turtle Project field trip in Salvador. No Classes - November 6 A12 - November 7: MID-TERM EXAM A13 - November 9: The Ocean Depths. Reading Chapter 16 How does the deep sea differ from other environments? What types of organisms live in the deep sea? What are the challenges involved with living in this environment? How have these organisms adapted to cope with those challenges? Salvador - November 11-16 3
A14 November 17: Review Brazil. Introduction to Marine Ecology. Reading Chapter 10 What are the different components of marine communities? What is resource partitioning and how do species interact? How does energy flow through trophic cascades? A15 - November 19: Between the Tides. Reading Chapter 11 What types of organisms live in the tidal zones? How does tidal movement effect the zonation of organisms? No classes November 21 A16 - November 22: Estuaries: Where Rivers Meet the Sea. Reading Chapter 12 What are the important functions of estuaries and mangrove systems? What is Blue Carbon? How do organisms adapt to living in regions of varying salinity? A17 - November 24: Life on the Continental Shelf. Reading Chapter 13 Which region comprises the continental shelf? How do temperatures and ocean currents affect the marine communities in this region? What is the significance of El Niño and La Niña? Trinidad - November 26-27 A18 - November 28: Coral Reefs. Reading Chapter 14 How are coral reefs formed? What kind of symbiotic relationships are unique to coral reef systems? What is Darwin s Paradox? What significance does this have for the biodiversity of coral reef organisms? A19 - November 30: Life Near the Surface. Reading Chapter 15 What are the types of plankton and how do they influence trophic cascades? What is the role of plankton in species distributions? What are the challenges of life in the open water? No classes - December 2 A20 - December 3: Resources from the Sea. Reading Chapter 17 How important are the oceans for our survival now and in the past? What different fishing methods and other extraction techniques do we use and how have these changed over time? Puntarenas - December 5-9 A21 - December 10: Review Costa Rica. Humans and the oceans. Reading Chapter 18/19 How do we utilize the oceans? What are some the major impacts that our activities have on different oceanic environments? What are some ways that we can mitigate these effects? A22 - December 12: Humans and the oceans. Reading Chapter 18/19 How do we utilize the oceans? What are some the major impacts that our activities have on different oceanic environments? What are some ways that we can mitigate these effects? 4
A23 - December 14: REVIEW Study Day December 16 A24 December 17; A-Day Finals Disembark - December 21 FIELD WORK Field lab attendance is mandatory for all students enrolled in this course. Do not book individual travel plans or a Semester at Sea sponsored trip on the day of your field lab. FIELD LAB (At least 20 percent of the contact hours for each course, to be led by the instructor.) Title: Ecology and Conservation of Sea Turtles (TAMAR Sea Turtle Project) http://www.tamar.org.br/ Country: Brazil Idea: The coastline of Brazil is an important feeding, breeding and nesting region for five species of sea turtle. As a heavily populated state, sea turtles in Brazil are subjected to many conservation concerns including loss of suitable habitat, disturbance to nests and direct damage to the turtles from boat strikes among other impacts. Objectives This field lab will be composed of two parts: 1. Students will visit the TAMAR Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Centre where they will meet with and hear talks from conservation workers and researchers and tour the facilities to view sick and injured turtles. This opportunity will enable students to learn about the various functions played by the TAMAR Centre including research and conservation programs, public education, tourism management and sea turtle recovery. 2. To investigate the ecological and biological requirements of sea turtles, students will explore a coastal environment close to the TAMAR Centre. They will use this time to record the habitat features of this environment, how sea turtles use this environment and the types of threats the turtles experience. Prior to the lab, students will choose a particular report topic, formulated as a testable hypothesis. During the field trip they will collect data to address this hypothesis in the form of independent observations; collecting data through published, printed and posted sources and by interviewing staff members and 5
visitors. Students will write up this field lab as a guided scientific report. *This field lab will be accompanied by a faculty-led field trip to observe turtle nesting and/or turtle hatching during an evening guided tour on the FIELD ASSIGNMENTS The primary field lab will be assessed through the production of a scientific paper. Students will address a specific hypothesis with respect to the field lab. Before reaching port, the hypotheses will be discussed as to the type of data and observations required to address it. During the field lab students will collect this information. Following the field trip students will write a guided research paper. This will enable them to reflect on their field experience as well as gain practical experience in formulating a scientific hypothesis and writing a research paper. The paper will follow the standard structure of Abstract/Summary, Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. During the field lab and also the other ports of call, the students will be required to keep a field journal. Students will be encouraged to make observations at all ports in their journal but the field journal will be assessed on 4 ports of their choice. They will be given a list of potential topics in class to choose from. Students will use a note-book in the field and then on return to the ship, compile an electronic report of their findings to be submitted on the second day following port departure. Students may wish to use a digital camera to take photos to be included in the report to supplement their findings or other items that have been collected. They will be assessed on the clarity of their observations and presentation, their ability to address the topic/question, the depth of their assessment and initiative in collecting observations. Students will receive feedback after each submission to enable improvement with future entries. METHODS OF EVALUATION / GRADING RUBRIC Field lab assignment (guided research paper) = 20% Midterm exam = 20% Final exam = 30% Field journal = 20% Quizzes = 10% Grade 1, Fail: Achieved 0 to 25% across the assessments Grade 2, Fail: Achieved 26-45% across the assessments 6
Grade 3, Fail: Achieved 46-50% across the assessments Grade 4, Pass: Achieved 51-65% across the assessments Grade 5, Credit: Achieved 66-76% across the assessments Grade 6, Distinction: Achieved 77-87% across the assessments Grade 7, High Distinction: Achieved more than 88% across the assessments RESERVE BOOKS AND FILMS FOR THE LIBRARY AUTHOR: Rachel Carson TITLE: The Sea Around Us PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press ISBN #: ISBN13: 9780195069976, ISBN10: 0195069978 DATE/EDITION: 1991 (other editions are available of this classic and are also suitable in place of this edition; originally published in 1951) AUTHOR: Mark Kurlansky TITLE: Cod PUBLISHER: Penguin ISBN #: ISBN-13: 978-0140275018 ISBN-10: 0140275010 DATE/EDITION: 1 st Edition. Published 1988 ELECTRONIC COURSE MATERIALS Supplementary material will be provided electronically as pdf documents or other templates on board the ship. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES None required HONOR CODE Semester at Sea students enroll in an academic program administered by the University of Virginia, and thus bind themselves to the University s honor code. The code prohibits all acts of lying, cheating, and stealing. Please consult the Voyager s Handbook for further explanation of what constitutes an honor offense. Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: On my honor as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment. The pledge must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed [signed]. 7