MAR 455 Marine Ecology

Credit, four hours.
Marine Ecology is an advanced course open to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Students will study marine organisms as they interact with each other and their environment, and examine theories and the experimental basis of our current knowledge. The laboratory will consist of field trips to a wide variety of marine habitats, and field problems which will be examined by small groups of students. Lecture and laboratory consists of studies of factors influencing population dynamics, community structure, and energy flow in marine ecosystems. Habitats selected for emphasis include coral reefs, kelp forests, seagrass meadows, the rocky intertidal and deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Cross-listed as: BIO 455. Prerequisite(s): BIO 211, BIO 212; MAR 340 recommended.