Marine Ecology
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What is it? Marine Ecology concerns the relationships of marine and estuarine organisms to environmental factors, interactions among organisms, ecological processes of energy and materials flow, and communities and ecosystems of the Louisiana Coastal Zone. Lectures will emphasize relationships among various trophic groups; discussions will emphasize recent theoretical and empirical advances; field trips and laboratories will emphasize local habitats and estuarine critters; and group projects will emphasize the mechanics of experimental design, hypothesis testing, and scientific communication. This course is generally team taught and the division of subject material depends upon who is teaching the course. Some very general lecture topics
Instructor who? Frank Jordan (Associate Professor and Slayer of Fishes) Meeting time and place See summer Schedule of Classes and LUMCON website (www.lumcon.edu) for more information about when this course is offered each year. The course meets at LUMCON's labs in Cocodrie and Fourchon, but sometimes will travel afar to experience other kinds of marine habitats (e.g., seagrass beds in Florida). Required textbooks Depends on instructor. I generally require The Ecology of Atlantic Shorelines and a big pile of primary literature. Required gear The life of a marine biologist looks pretty glamorous on TV, but there are a few things that always get left out of the script: sunburn, stingrays, oyster shells and discarded bear bottles, mud, biting insects, more mud, more sunburn, and the funky olfactory synergism created by mixing mud, sunscreen, sweat, bugspray, and other less than pleasant substances. Make your life happier by being prepared -- bring sunscreen, a hat, a light-colored long-sleeved shirt, shoes, fishing tackle, an iPod, bugspray, and anything else (besides alcohol) that you need to be happy when working outside in the summer! LUMCON facilities have washers, driers, food, drinks, and linen. Tests, grading, and other nastiness You will have two exams, each worth 40% of your grade, that will provide an opportunity for integration of material covered during lectures, field trips, discussion of published articles, and execution of group research projects. You will carry out group research projects. Each group will be assigned a unique research question, propose hypotheses, design and carry out experiments, analyze results, and present findings at a "mini symposium" during the last week of class. Your participation in the group project and presentation will be worth 20% of your grade. When two faculty teach this course, your final numerical grades from each instructor will be averaged to come up with a composite numerical grade. For example, if you earn a 92% in the first part of the course and a 76% in the second part of the course, your final grade will be a 84%. Earning 60% of these points earns you a D, 70% of these points earns you a C, 80% of these points earns you a B, and 90% of these points earns you an A. Advice and stuff Participation is a key to success in this course. We will be working very closely together and collaborating on a number of studies -- it is imperative that all students interact in a positive, friendly, and supportive fashion. Students with physical or learning disabilities should inform LUMCON education staff in advance so that accomodations can be made. Of course, you should feel free to ask if you need help with this course, life, the universe, or anything. I would be happy to hear your abbreviated life stories and your projected life-history trajectories. I don't have any money, so don't ask. Finally, please feel free to offer suggestions and constructive criticism -- I strive to continually improve this course. |
