Marine Biology and Ecology

Code:

RM07

Acronym:

BEM

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Marine Biology and Ecology

Instance: 2021/2022 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Aquatic Production
Course/CS Responsible:	Master Degree in Marine Sciences - Marine Resources

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MCMRM	17	Oficial Plan 2018	1	-	5	50	135

Teaching language

English

Objectives

Transmission of fundamental concepts of marine biology and ecology, for students without basic knowledge.

Learning outcomes and competences

Basic knowledge about Marine biology and ecology.

Working method

Presencial

Program

Theoretical lessons:

OCEANS AND SEAS: definitions, structure and zonation of the physical space; distribution, boundaries, areas, volumes and depths, Coriolis, Ekman spiral, gyres and eddies, surface and bottom currents, cold wall, current system at 0º in the Atlantic, ecological consequences.
ABIOTIC and BIOTIC FACTORS: physical-chemical parameters, macro- and micronutrients, dissolved and particular organic matter, hydrostatic pressure, movement of ascension, illumination; plankton, definitions (detritus, phyto- and zooplankton, seston, neuston, pleuston, and nekton), seasonal variations between nutrients, phyto- and zooplankton in high, low and middle latitudes, and in the North Pacific Ocean, grazing, vertical migration, life cycles, general information about nekton (mollusks, fish, reptiles and marine mammals).
METHODS, INSTRUMENTS AND WORKING PLATFORMS: research vessels, equipment, instruments and methods of physical-chemical and biological samplings.
BACTERIA AND OTHER MARINE MICROBIOLOGICAL ASPECTS: forms and functions, horizontal and vertical distribution; processes and production, examples of the Baltic and the Black Sea.
PRIMARY PRODUCTION: general scheme, unities and distribution of primary production in the oceans; photosynthetic and respiratory quotients; adaptation to light; compensation and critical depth; production and biomass development of phytoplankton in a water column – development of a bloom.
UPWELLING AND FISHERY PRODUCTION: causes, definitions, localizations, examples of the neritic and oceanic provinces; food chains in upwelling areas; biological and fishery production.
BENTHOS: definitions – size, feeding types, locomotion; larvae and development; biomass distribution; benthic societies: sand, mud and rock, with examples; phyto- and zoobenthos of hard and soft sediments; benthic interactions; benthos in great depths; food chains and trophic web scheme.
METHODS OF STATISTICAL EVALUATION OS BENTHIC ORGANISMS: application of statistical parameters.
DANGEROUS AND TOXIC MARINE ORGANISMS: species, precautions and treatments.
LITTORAL: definitions; coastal geomorphology; zonation; tides and waves; other abiotic factors; biotic factors like competition for space and food; colonization of different substrates, characteristic species of the littoral zones; erosion; human influence and pollution; protection and conservation of vulnerable areas.
SECONDARY PRODUCTION: definitions, unities, «Edge Index», grazing, filtration quotient; calculation of production, biomass-turnover-approach; ecological efficiency and trophic levels; food chains, benthos production, Allen method; structure of a food web, quantification of trophic levels.
ESTUARIES: types and classifications; abiotic and biotic factors; “brackish water laws”; representative species; resident, periodical, summer guest, casual, and migratory species of fish; problems – erosion, sand digging, urban pressure, pollution and eutrophication.
CORAL REEFS AND MANGROVES: definition, biological reefs, construction of coral reefs, types of coral reefs, difference between the corals of the Atlantic and the Indopacific Oceans.

Practical lessons

ROCKY LITTORAL: intertidal zonation, identification and statistical evaluation of representative species of the marine fauna and flora, differences of colonization of a rocky and a sandy beach.
CHANGING LITTORAL: climatic alterations, rise of the sea level, coastal erosion, regress of the coast and possible measures of mitigation; colonization, succession and function of the breakwater, as an artificial reef.

Mandatory literature

Kaiser, M.J. et al ; Marine Ecology, Oxford University Press, 2005
Levinton, J.S. ; Marine Biology - Function, Biodiversity, Ecology , Oxford University Press , 2001
Tardent; Marine Biology , Thieme (Stuttgart), 1994

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical lessons with video projections. Practical lessons outdoors on Aguda´s beach.

Evaluation Type

Evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	100,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Frequência das aulas	50,00
Estudo autónomo	85,00
Total:	135,00

Eligibility for exams

Frequency of 75 %

Calculation formula of final grade

Written examination

Classification improvement

Written examination

Observations

have a look: www.fundacao-ela.pt