354T-Biological Oceanography

Unique number:
Course number: MNS 354T
Description: Introduction to the organisms in the sea, their adaptations to the environment, and the factors that control their distribution and abundance. The course emphasizes laboratory and field work with organisms found in the coastal waters of Texas.
Credit hours: 3, 3 lecture hours, 8 laboratory hours per week.
Prerequisites: BIO 302 and either 303 or 304, or consent of the instructor.

Meeting time and location

Lecture days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Time: 11:00 - 12:20
Place: Video Classroom, Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas
Laboratory days: Tuesday
Time: 08:00 - 17:00
Place: L232, Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas

Instructor

Name: Ed Buskey
Office: L341, Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas
Office hours: by appointment
Phone: 512-749-6794
E-mail: buskey@utmsi.utexas.edu

Teaching Assistant: Christa Speekmann

Office: L311, Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas

Office Hours: WMF: 1:00-2:30

E-mail: christa@utmsi.utexas.edu

Course Topics

Introduction to the Marine Environment
Phytoplankton and Primary Production
Bacteria, Protozoa and the Microbial Loop
Zooplankton and Grazing
Marine Nekton: Fish, squid, mammals
Life in the Deep Sea
Coral Reef Ecology
Fisheries Oceanography
Life on the Bottom: Benthic Environments
Global Warming

Biological Oceanography is a field course. We will explore the marine environments of the Texas bays from the R/V Katy and the Gulf of Mexico from the R/V Longhorn. A one or two day oceanographic cruise in the open gulf of Mexico will be an integral part of this course. We will explore the wonders of the open ocean and the limitations of doing science at sea. You will be introduced to the special adaptations of life in the sea based on a food web approach: we will start with the plants that form the base of the food chain and work our way up to the top predators that help control the diversity and abundance of life in the sea. Laboratory exercises and field trips will be used to give you a "hands on" knowledge of the physical, chemical and biological factors that regulate the structure of the biological community of the sea.

Textbook

The main textbook for this course will be "Biological Oceanography" by C.B. Miller. A variety of other relevant books will be held on reserve in the library, and selected reserve readings will be held by the teaching assistant to be checked out.

References

Biological Oceanographic Processes, T.R. Parsons, M. Takahashi, B. Hargrave. 1984. Pergamon
Concepts in Biological Oceanography, P.A. Jumars. 1993. Oxford
Marine Biology, J.S. Levinton. 1995. Oxford
Marine Ecological Processes. Valiela, 1995. Springer
Biological Oceanography: an introduction, E.M. Lalli and T.R. Parsons

MNS 354T: Biological Oceanography
Summer 2005

Instructor: Ed Buskey (email: buskey@utmsi.utexas.edu; Office: Rm 341; Phone: 749-6794)
Teaching Assistant: Christa Speekmann (email: christa@utmsi.utexas.edu; Office: Rm 311; Phone: 6702
Lectures: MWF 11:00 - 12:20 Lab: T 8-12 AM; 1-5:00 PM
Textbook: C.B. Miller: Biological Oceanography
Office hours: Monday and Wednesday afternoons

Course Description:

Introduction to the organisms in the sea, their adaptations to the environment, and the factors that control their distribution and abundance. The course emphasizes laboratory and field work with organisms found in the coastal waters of Texas. Prerequisite: Upper division standing in biological sciences, or consent of the instructor.

Tentative Reading Assignments

Date	Topic	Reading
June 3	Lecture: Introduction, The marine environment	L&P, Ch. 1, 2*

June 6	Lecture: Phytoplankton and Primary Production	Miller, Ch. 2, 3
June 7	Lab: Katy Cruise, Zooplankton, Inverts, Fish, Chl
June 8	Lecture: The Spring Bloom	Miller, Ch. 1
June 10	Lecture: Microbial Loop	Miller, Ch. 5

June 13	Lecture: Zooplankton Groups	Miller, Ch. 6
June 14	Lab: Longhorn Cruise
June 15	Lab: Longhorn Cruise
June 17	Lecture: Zooplankton Ecology	Miller, Ch. 7, 8

June 20	Lecture: Food Webs, Numerical Models	Miller Ch. 4
June 21	Lab: Work up Cruise Data
June 22	Mid term exam
June 24	Lecture: Marine Nekton, mid-water organisms	Miller, Ch. 11

June 27	Lecture: Biology of the Deep Sea	Miller, Ch. 12, 14
June 28	Lab: Molecular Biology
June 29	Lecture: Benthic Community Ecology	Miller, Ch. 13
July 1	Lecture: Coral Reef Ecology	Knowlton, Ch. 15*

July 4	Independence Day - No Class
July 5	Lab: Do you know the way to San Jose? Human impact on Marine Environment
July 6	Lecture: Fisheries Oceanography, Human Impact	Miller Ch. 15, 16
July 8	Final Exam 9:00 a.m.

*Reserve readings; copies in T.A.'s office

Grade Evaluations:

Your grade in this class will be based on your performance on two exams (a mid-term and a final exam) and on two lab reports.

Exams: Each exam will be a combination of objective and essay questions. Essays will be graded on content, organization and clarity of communication. The grades will be based on a numerical scale from 0-100. This scale can be adjusted up on a curve with the mean class score representing a B, at my option. If you must miss an examination due to unavoidable circumstances, you must notify me at least one week in advance. If you miss the exam due to illness or personal emergency, please notify me within 24 hours of the exam. Exams must be made up as soon as possible. The final exam will be inclusive, with emphasis on material covered since the mid-term.

Lab Reports: Lab reports will be required for the following field and laboratory exercises:

1. Katy Trip - Report due June 13

2. Longhorn cruise - Report due July 1 (this is to be a more detailed report and will count for 1/2 of your lab grade)

3. Molecular Biology Lab - Report due July 6

Each report will be in the same general format as a scientific research paper, including a cover page, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and references. Please see the attached handout "Writing Scientific Reports" for further information on writing lab reports and the attached handout "How to analyze and present data" for tips on making graphs and tables to present your data.

Lectures

PDF's of Powerpoint notes will be available on Blackboard

Grading System:

Lab Reports: 30%
Mid term:30%
Final Exam:40%

Attendance policy

Regular attendance is required at all class meetings and laboratory exercises and field trips. Laboratory exercises and field trips can not be repeated for students that miss them. Students must contact me in advance if they must miss a field trip, and an alternative assignment will be made.

Scholastic dishonesty policy

Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. You are expected to have read and understood the current issue of the General Information Catalog, published by the Registrar's Office, for information about procedures and about what constitutes scholastic dishonesty.

Additional Information

For field work you will need sun screen, sun glasses, and hat for protection against the South Texas Sun.
If you have a tendency toward sea sickness, you should take appropriate precautions before the Longhorn cruise in the Gulf (refrain from alcohol consumption prior to the cruise, consider over the counter sea sickness medications before the cruise). If you've never been to sea before, take the recommended precautions.

Reserved Reading List
RESERVE LIST–Summer 2005

QH 541.5 C65 A58 1998 MSL c.1-2
Coastal Ecosystem Processes
Alongi, Daniel M.

QH 541.5 S3 M256 2001 MSL c.1-2
Marine Community Ecology
Bertness, Gaines & Hay

GC 16 G7 1990 MSL
Oceanography, a view of the earth.
Gross, M. Grant

QH 91 I9 H8 1983 MSL
Marine phytoplankton and Productivity, Cop. 1 & 2
C.R. Tomas

QH 91 L35 1997 MSL c.1-2
Biological oceanography: an introduction / 2nd ed.
Carol M. Lalli and Timothy R. Parsons
Butterworth/Heinemann, 1997

QH 91.8 P5 R38 MSL V.1 c.1-2
Plankton and productivity in the oceans.
Volume 1 - Phytoplankton
Raymont, John E.G.
Pergamon Press, 1980

QH 95.58 K58 1994 MSL
The biology of the southern ocean.
G.A. Knox
Cambridge, 1994

QH 541.5 S3 M25 1996 MSL c.1-3
Dynamics of marine ecosystems.
K.H. Mann and J.R.N. Lazier
Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1996

QH 91 L427
Marine Biology: Function, biodiversity, ecology / 2nd ed.
J.S. Levinton
Oxford, 2001

QH 541.5 S3 B3 1988 MSL
An introduction to marine ecology.
Barnes, R.S.K. 2nd edition
Oxford, 1988

QH 541.5 S3 B34 1999 MSL
An introduction to marine ecology.
Barnes, R.S.K., Hughes, R.N. 3rd edition
Blackwell Science, 1999

QH 541.5 S3 J85 1993 MSL
Concepts on biological oceanography: an interdisciplinary primer.
Peter A. Jumars
New York, 1993

QH 541.5 S3 V34 1995 MSL
Marine ecological processes. 2nd ed.
Valiela, Ivan
Springer-Verlag, 1995

QH 541.5 S3 S49 1987 MSL c.1-2
Marine populations.
Michael Sinclair
Washington Sea Grant, 1988

QH 541.5 S35 D46 1988 MSL
Biology and the mechanics of the wave-swept environment.
Mark W. Denny
Princeton, N.J., 1988

QH 541.5 W3 F86 1991 MSL COP.1, COP.2(lost)
Fundamentals of aquatic ecology.
R.S.K. Barnes and H.K. Mann. (eds)
Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1991

QH 541.5 W3 MSL
Fundamentals of aquatic ecosystems.
R.S.K. Barnes and K.H. Mann. (eds)
Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1980

QK 569 D54 I34 1996 MSL
Identifying marine diatoms and dinoflagellates.
C.R. Tomas
San Diego, 1996

QK 933 H37 1986 MSL
Phytoplankton ecology: structure, function, and fluctuation.
Harrison, Gram P.
London, 1986

QL 120 G54 1993 MSL
Meiobenthology: the microscopic fauna in aquatic sediments.
Giere, Olav
Sprinter-Verlag, 1993

QL 120 S46 1988 MSL
Sensory biology of aquatic animals.
J. Atema
Springer-Verlag, 1988

QL 366 F46 1987 LIFE SCIENCE
Ecology of protozoa: the biology of free-living phagotrophic protists.
Fenchel, Tom
Madison, Wis., 1987

QL 368 D6 B5656 1987
The biology of dinoflagellates.
F.J.R. Taylor (ed)
Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1987

QH 541.5 S3 P37 1988 c.1-2
Biological oceanographic processes.
Parsons, et al
Pergamon Press, 1988

QR 106 M48 1987 MSL
Microbes in the sea.
Sleigh, M.A.
Wiley, 1987

QR 106 S56 MSL 1979 c.1-3
Sea microbes.
Seiburth, J.M.
Oxford University Press, 1979

QH 91 H44
The Biology of the Deep Ocean.
P. Herring
Oxford, 2002

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14 January 2005

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