The biological oceanography/marine ecology group
includes
Ann
Bucklin,
Hans
Dam,
James
Kremer,
Senjie
Lin,
George
McManus,
Pieter
Visscher,
Evan
Ward, and
Robert
Whitlatch, as well as in-residence professors
Peter Auster,
Pat Kremer,
Paul
Renaud, and
Sandra
Shumway.
Charles
Yarish and
Eric
Schultz
are jointly appointed with Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Joe
Crivello is jointly appoinnted with Physiology and Neurobiology.
Our group contains scientists with a broad range of interests,
including benthic population and community ecology, marine invasive
species ecology, trophic relationships in the plankton, nutrient
dynamics of coastal embayments and estuaries, effects of harmful algal
blooms in coastal waters, biogeochemistry of microbial mats, gelatinous
zooplankton ecology, ecology and biomechanics of shellfish feeding,
algal physiology, and the role of marine protected areas in fish
ecology.
Marine Sciences biology faculty use both field observations and
laboratory experiments to obtain insights into coastal zone processes.
Field programs range from coastal Brazil to New Zealand and from Long
Island Sound to the Irish Sea. Laboratory techniques include
applications of image analysis, high performance liquid chromatography,
microelectrodes, video endoscopy, molecular biology, and fluorescence
microscopy, along with traditional oceanographic methods for measuring
materials and fluxes in the coastal environment.
Our program involves individually-tailored curricula that combine
traditional core courses in the oceanographic subdisciplines with
interdisciplinary advanced offerings taught by the physicists and
chemists in the department, and intensive seminar courses in various
biological areas of specialty.
In addition to regularly scheduled seminars and
special topic courses, we offer the following
biological oceanography courses:
MARN 3013 Environmental Physiology of Marine Animals
Introduction to the study of marine environmental physiology; behavioral and physiological adaptations of marine animals to different environments (intertidal, estuarine, coastal, oceanic); compensatory responses to changing ambient conditions; and basic animal energetics. Laboratory exercises focus on food consumption, energy transformations, and principles of physiological measurement.
MARN 3014 Marine Biology
The study of the kinds and distributions of marine organisms. Particular attention is paid to biotic features of the oceans, organism-habitat and relationships and general ecological concepts influencing marine populations and communities.
MARN 3016 Marine Microbiology
A general survey of the taxonomy, physiology and ecology of marine microorganisms.
MARN 5010 Biological Oceanography
An advanced course in biological processes in oceanic and coastal waters. Emphasis is on empirical and theoretical concepts of marine ecosystem dynamics, primary and secondary production and detrital cycling.
MARN 5011 Biogenic Fluxes in the Oceans
Processes regulating the export of organic matter from the surface of the ocean to the sea bed. New and export production; role of the biotic and abiotic processes in downward transport of particulate and dissolved organic matter; current topics of research on the biological pump.
MARN 5012 Ecology of Marine Invertebrates
Functional responses of organisms to abiotic factors in the marine environment (light, temperature, salinity, oxygen tension, intertidal exposure).
MARN 5013 Marine Systems Ecology
Effects of biotic and abiotic parameters on the structure and function of marine ecosystems. Techniques for the analysis of energetics, nutrient cycles, and trophic characteristics in both theoretical and applied problems.
MARN 5014 Marine Phytoplankton Ecology and Physiology
The physiology of marine phytoplankton, environmental factors affecting their growth and photosynthesis in the ocean, the oceanographic processes responsible for the temporal and spatial distributions of phytoplankton biomass and production, and current topics in phytoplankton research.
MARN 5015 Molecular Approach to Biological Oceanography
Principles and technology in nucleic acid purification and manipulation, DNA fingerprinting, gene cloning and sequencing, phylogenetic analysis, and detection of gene expression (mRNA and protein). Application examples in marine ecological studies.
MARN 5016 Marine Zooplankton
The role of bioenergetics, life history, population and community dynamics and their role in biogeochemical cycles of protozoan and metazoan marine zooplankton.
MARN 5020 Marine Bioorganic Chemistry
Overview of the molecular basis of metabolic and bioenergetic pathways and processes with emphasis on life in the marine environment. Synthesis of marine natural products. Laboratory demonstrations of selected molecular and physiological techniques used in oceanography.
MARN 5032 Coastal Pollution and Bioremediation
Overview of processes and compounds leading to pollution in the nearshore marine environment. The impact of pollution on the marine food-web and its response is emphasized. Alleviation of pollution through metabolism of organisms, including bacteria, sea grasses and salt marshes.
