Marine Biology

This course is a general survey of the ecosystems and diversity of life in the marine environment. It will introduce the sciences of geological, chemical and physical oceanography as the basis to understand the environment where marine organisms exist is included. A comparative approach is used to study the physiological and anatomical adaptations of the different marine organisms to their environment. This course compares the ecology of the major marine ecosystems including the epipelagic, deep sea, hydrothermal vents, intertidal, estuaries, coral reefs and polar regions. Major aspects of evolutionary, cell and molecular theory, and the scientific method are addressed throughout the course.