BB506: Marine and Brackish Water Ecology (5 ECTS)

STADS: 04000601

Level
Bachelor course

Teaching period
The course is offered in the spring semester.

Teacher responsible

Email: hur@biology.sdu.dk

Timetable

Group	Type	Day	Time	Classroom	Weeks	Comment
H1	TE	Monday	08-16	*Odense Lokalitet aftales 10	33	Kerteminde
H1	TE	Tuesday	08-16	*Odense Lokalitet aftales 10	33	Kerteminde
H1	TE	Wednesday	08-16	*Odense Lokalitet aftales 10	33	Kerteminde
H1	TE	Thursday	08-16	*Odense Lokalitet aftales 10	33	Kerteminde
H1	TE	Friday	08-16	*Odense Lokalitet aftales 10	33	Kerteminde
H2	TE	Monday	08-16	*Odense Lokalitet aftales 10	34	Kerteminde
H2	TE	Tuesday	08-16	*Odense Lokalitet aftales 10	34	Kerteminde
H2	TE	Wednesday	08-16	*Odense Lokalitet aftales 10	34	Kerteminde
H2	TE	Thursday	08-16	*Odense Lokalitet aftales 10	34	Kerteminde
H2	TE	Friday	08-16	*Odense Lokalitet aftales 10	34	Kerteminde

Show entire timetable
Show personal time table for this course.

Comment:
De studerende deles op på uger senest d.23.12.

Prerequisites:
None

Academic preconditions:
Students taking the course are not expected to have any specific background knowledge.

Course introduction

The aim of the course is to give the student an elementary introduction to a range of marine biological topics dealt with during the course which is carried out as a combination of experimental field and laboratory work. The nearby fjord-system Kerteminde Fjord/Kertinge Nor is used as an example. Main emphasis is put on hydrography, primary production, nutrient turnover, benthic fauna and plankton. Finally, a number of abiotic environmental factors, that influence the life in marine and brackish water areas, are treated.

The course can be followed without any expected prerequisites, and gives an academic basis for studying marine biological oriented topics which may form part of the degree.

In relation to the competence profile of the degree it is the explicit focus of the course to:

Give the competence to to engage in collaboration based on group-work projects and to structure their own learning.
Give skills to structure and implement experimental biological studies conducted both in the laboratory and in the field to acquire new biological knowledge in an effective and independent way and to apply this knowledge reflective as well as to describe, formulate and communicate professional issues and results.
Give knowledge and understanding of experimental biological methods and selected current research topics and reflective understanding of biological theories, methods and practices.

Expected learning outcome

The learning objective of the course is that the student demonstrates the ability to:

Explain the basic fundamental features of the interplay between hydrography and plankton dynamic.
Identify and describe the most important key-organisms in a brackish-water ecosystem (Kertinge Nor).
Conduct field and laboratory studies that illustrate the importance of selected key organisms in a shallow-water ecosystem.
Carry out qualitative and quantitative measurements on populations of selected animals.
Present and evaluate own data and experimental results, and write a report.

Subject overview

The following main topics are contained in the course:

The participants collect animals and plants for determination of species. During a boat excursion temperature, salinity, oxygen and chlorophyll are measured along a selected transect. In addition zooplankton and phytoplankton are collected for determination of species and counting.
The participants in the course work in groups which subject a selected topic to a critical examination.

Literature

Oplyses senere

Website
This course uses e-learn (blackboard).

Prerequisites for participating in the exam
None

Assessment and marking:

Expected working hours
The teaching method is based on three phase model.
Intro phase: 5 hours
- Laboratory exercises: 40 hours
- Excursion: 5 hours

Educational activities

Collection of own field- and laboratory data
Writing of report, presentation

Educational form
The participants collect animals and plants for determination of species. During a boat excursion temperature, salinity, oxygen and chlorophyll are measured along a selected transect. In addition zooplankton and phytoplankton are collected for determination of species and counting. The participants in the course work in groups (3-4 students) which subject a selected topic to a critical examination.

Language
This course is taught in Danish or English, depending on the lecturer. However, if international students participate, the teaching language will always be English.

Course enrollment
See deadline of enrolment.

Tuition fees for single courses
See fees for single courses.