Course Description
Covers the main invertebrates living in mangroves, seagrasses, or on coral reefs. The course will take place in Key Largo, Florida, and include a trip to the Everglades. Topics include: ecology, physiology, global climate change, evolution, what species made reefs in the past as well as what species will survive the future.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will do a research project on a topic that is
relevant to the course (e.g., role of water flowing though the
Everglades on mangroves, seagrasses and coral reefs), entailing
a literature review and detailed methods. The student will
design an experiment that takes approximately one week to do,
collect data, and write up the results.
Athena Title
TROP MAR INVERT
Undergraduate Prerequisite
BIOL 1107-1107L and BIOL 1108-1108L and permission of department
Graduate Prerequisite
BIOL 1107-1107L and BIOL 1108-1108L and permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered summer semester every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
To learn about invertebrates, why they live where they do, their ecology and physiology.
Topical Outline
Tropical environment Weather Tropical storms Wet-dry seasons (climate, cold fronts) Temperature Salinity Nutrients Sediments Oceanic effects Where are the reefs? Fresh water sources (e.g., Everglades) Introduced species Mangroves Seagrasses Coral reefs Geologic processes Zonation Modern ecology Corals Other invertebrates Calcification Zooxanthellae Florida reefs and corals Evolution of reefs What was here before? Geology Reefs South Florida Threats to ecosystems Global climate change Reef acidification Nutrients Sedimentation