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Tropical Marine Invertebrates


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

Tropical Marine Invertebrates


Prerequisite

(BIOL 1107 or BIOL 1107E or BIOL 2107H) and (BIOL 1108 or BIOL 1108E or BIOL 2108H) and permission of department


Semester Course Offered

Not offered on a regular basis.


Grading System

A - F (Traditional)


Student learning Outcomes

  • Students will learn about invertebrates; why they live where they do and their ecology and physiology.

Topical Outline

  • Tropical environment Weather Tropical storms Wet-dry seasons (climate, cold fronts)
  • Salinity Nutrients Sediments Oceanic effects
  • Where are the reefs? Fresh water sources (e.g., Everglades)
  • Introduced species
  • Mangroves Seagrasses Coral reefs
  • Geologic processes Zonation
  • Corals Other invertebrates Calcification Zooxanthellae
  • Florida reefs and corals Evolution of reefs What was here before?
  • South Florida Threats to ecosystems Global climate change Reef acidification