(Advanced Topics in)Marine Biology (海洋生物学特論)
Dr. I-Hsun NI 倪怡訓( or )
Course Goals: This course emphasizes ecological processes and adaptations that act to structure marine associations and permit their persistence through time. The courseprovides a brief survey (functional morphology) of the major marine living organisms; then stresses their habitat, adaptation, community structures, inter-species interactions and ecosystem. The course requires a certain minimum background in basic concepts of Marine Biology.
Format and Grading: Designed for either UG (Marine Biology for the3rd/4thundergraduate)or PG (Advanced Marine Biology for post graduate) students with 3 units. Course contents can be modified for students’ background upon request.Weekly 2-hour lecture will be conducted in English plus 1-hour student presentation and discussion. Course contents can be modified for students’ background upon request. Final grades are based on student’s oral presentation (50%) and final exam (50%).
Course Outline:
Week Topic
1 Principles of Marine Science (Marine Biology vs Biological Oceanography)
Planet of Water (Earth)
Properties of water
History of Marine Biology
2Ecological principles
Ecosphere
Biogeochemical cycles
Ecosystem components
Life history strategies
3Overview of Biological, Chemical & Physical Oceanography
Geography & geomorphology of the ocean
Plate tectonics
Temperature and vertical stratification
Water mass and circulation
3Marine primary producer
Phytoplanton – Blue-green algae, Diatoms, Dinoflagellates, etc.
Marine plants – sea weeds
4Marine secondary productivity
Protozoans – Foraminiferans, Radiolarians, Ciliates, etc.
Zooplankton
Larval and larval ecology
5Oceanic nekton & their adaptation
Composition of ocean nektons
Adaptation of oceanic nektons
Food from sea; Drug from sea
6Lower Marine Invertebrate: Porifera, Cnidaria & Ctenpphora
Acoelomates: Platyhelminthes & Nemertea;
Pseudocoelomate: Nematoda & Rotifera
7Protostomes:
Mulusca,
Annelida
Arthropoda
8Deuterostomes:
Echinodermata,
Chordata
9Fish Biology
Adaptation
Life history strategies
10Marine birds and Sea turtles
11Marine Mammals
Seals
Whales
12Fisheries & Wildlife Management – Conservation aspects
13Coastal Ecology: Inter-tidal Rocky & Sandy shores
14Coastal management: Estuaries & Mangroves
15Coral Reefs
16Thermo vent and Deep sea biology
17Ocean pollution and marine conservation
18Final Exam
Textbook:
Karleskint, Turner & Small, 2010 3rd ed). Introduction to Marine Biology. Brooks/Cole
Castro, Peter and Huber (2007 6th ). Marine Biology. McGraw-Hill Education (Asia).
Nybakken, James W. (2004, 6th ed). Marine Biology: an ecological approach. HarperCollinsCollege publishers, New York.
Key references:
Sumich, James L. (2002, 8th ed). An Introduction to the Biology of Marine Life, McGraw-Hill
Levinton, Jeffrey S. (2001 2nd). Marine Biology – Function, biodiversity, ecology