ZO3306: MARINE ECOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEMS (2023-2024)

Last modified: 05 Oct 2023 08:46

Course Overview

This course explores how marine organisms interact with each other and their environment to form functioning ecosystems.
Consideration of biological production in the sea will show how marine ecosystems are fuelled.
The structure and function of marine food webs will be explored to give an appreciation of important differences from terrestrial food webs and how they respond to natural and anthropogenic influences.
Practical sessions will develop your skills in collecting, analysing and interpreting marine ecological data.
An introduction to the ‘ecosystem-based approach’ will show how understanding of marine ecosystem functioning can be applied to managing human activities in the sea.

Course Details

Study Type	Undergraduate	Level	3
Term	First Term	Credit Points	15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus	Aberdeen	Sustained Study	No
Co-ordinators	Dr Philip Smith

Qualification Prerequisites

Either Programme Level 3 or Programme Level 4

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)
One of BI2508 Principles of Animal Physiology (Passed) or BI2510 Principles of Animal Physiology (Passed) or BI25Z2 Ocean Biology (Passed) or BI25Z4 Ocean Biology (Passed) or BI25Z5 Fundamentals of Marine Biology (Passed) or BI29Z2 Zoology Field Course (Passed) or BI29Z3 Zoology Field Course (Passed)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

Course Description

Marine ecology deals with how organisms interact with the environment, and with their own and other species. Understanding these interactions is essential whether your interests in the marine environment are narrow (e.g. particular groups of species) or broad (e.g. oceanic processes). At the ecosystem level, describing patterns over broad spatial or temporal scales is essential to interpreting how the marine environment behaves in response to global processes; e.g., climate change, pollution, and overfishing. Integrative thinking is also a hallmark of the Ecosystem Approach to various problems, which you will study in the course.

This course explores the ecology of marine organisms in different environments, and aims to explain current understanding of patterns and processes in a variety of marine ecosystems. The course builds on the knowledge developed in BI25Z5 Fundamentals in Marine Biology.

The course aims:

to deepen knowledge and understanding of physical and chemical aspects of the marine environment
to develop knowledge about major types of marine habitats
to develop knowledge about key components of marine food webs
to explore the characteristics of specific marine ecosystems (polar and North Sea) in detail, with an emphasis on trophic interactions
to understand basic principles of the Ecosystem Approach, and to identify the information required to implement the approach

Associated Costs

Description	Value
Students should possess a Howie laboratory coat and safety glasses. Further details of requirements can be found on the course's MyAberdeen page. The cost listed here is approximate.	23.0000

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers

Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Online Test

Assessment Type	Summative	Weighting	15
Assessment Weeks		Feedback Weeks		Look up Week Numbers
Feedback

Learning Outcomes

Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator
Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome

Oral Presentation: Group

Assessment Type	Summative	Weighting	25
Assessment Weeks		Feedback Weeks		Look up Week Numbers
Feedback	Marine Ecosystem Review (group presentation with weighting from peer assessment)

Learning Outcomes

Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator
Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome

Report and Online Test

Assessment Type	Summative	Weighting	60
Assessment Weeks		Feedback Weeks		Look up Week Numbers
Feedback

Learning Outcomes

Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator
Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Resit Assessments

Re-submission of failed elements

Assessment Type	Summative	Weighting
Assessment Weeks		Feedback Weeks	Look up Week Numbers
Feedback	Students will repeat whichever elements of the assessment were failed or not completed at first sitting; the marks for elements already passed will be carried forwards.

Learning Outcomes

Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator
Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome
Factual	Remember	ILO’s for this course are available in the course guide.

ZO3306: MARINE ECOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEMS (2023-2024)

Course Overview

Course Details

Qualification Prerequisites

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

What other courses must be taken with this course?

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

Are there a limited number of places available?

Course Description

Associated Costs

Contact Teaching Time

Teaching Breakdown

Summative Assessments

Online Test

Learning Outcomes

Oral Presentation: Group

Learning Outcomes

Report and Online Test

Learning Outcomes

Formative Assessment

Resit Assessments

Re-submission of failed elements

Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes

Compatibility Mode