Synopsis of course content
Marine Invertebrate Zoology (MIZ) is a hands-on course focusing on the diversity of marine invertebrates in Bermuda's near shore habitats. Due to the Gulf Stream, Bermuda is home to unique assemblages of semi-tropical invertebrates thriving in the most northern coral reefs, mangrove forests and tropical seagrass beds in the Atlantic. This course surveys the major phyla of marine Invertebrates focusing on Bermudian examples.

MIZ is a combined lecture, laboratory and field course. Field and laboratory work is extensive and a written and oral independent project is required. The material covered and time commitment during this course are similar to a full year lecture/lab course. The format and content of the course is geared to upper level undergraduates with a biological science background.

Some major groups of invertebrates will be emphasized in our studies of systematics and biology: Porifera (sponges), Cnidaria (corals, jellyfish, anemones), Annelida (segmented worms), Crustacea (shrimps, crabs, zooplankton), Echinodermata (sea urchins, sea cucumbers), Mollusca (snails, mussels, clams), lophophorate animals (bryozoans, entoprocts), and Chordata (sea squirts, larvaceans). Selected other higher taxa are covered in less detail as they are encountered in the field.

Invertebrate habitats typically explored include coral reefs, mangroves, anchialine ponds, caves, seagrass beds, mud flats and rocky shores. Major environmental characteristics and factors effective in the different habitats will be discussed. Field identifications of common invertebrates and formal identification methods using reference materials are emphasized. Some special preparatory techniques for taxonomic studies and reference collections are undertaken in the laboratory. Students will become familiar with the distinguishing characteristics of the major invertebrate taxa and be able to identify higher taxa of marine invertebrates globally.

Prerequisites
All participants in the course must be able to snorkel and must be comfortable in the water. SCUBA certification is not required although there will be one or two diving opportunities for certified divers who have their own equipment and turn in the proper paper work to our divemaster.

As an absolute minimum, students are expected to have at least had introductory courses in biology/zoology.

Assignments
Students will be asked to maintain notebooks with records of their field and laboratory observations and these will be graded. There will also be small research reports and a final project with both written and oral components.

Reading Material
Please bring a copy of Jan A. Pechenik "Biology of the Invertebrates" 5th edition with you to Bermuda. Students can share a copy with a friend provided they are able to stay current with readings and studying. BIOS will provide a number of other references during the class.

Exams
MIZ has a mid term and a final exam. Every effort is made to stagger exams so they don't overlap with CRE exams. However, the end of the semester is typically a busy time and students are strongly encouraged to study all along and to not leave their notebooks and final projects to the last minute.

Term Papers and oral presentations
Students are required to submit a final written paper on a Bermudian invertebrate of their choice in web format; I will provide a web ready format. Rather than a term paper that gets graded, returned and never sees the light of day again, students in MIZ will write a web based report on a Bermudian invertebrate not yet covered in our growing website. This will add to our online collection of marine invertebrate species pages. Please see: http://www.marineinvertebratezoology.org/Hypselodoriszebra.html for an example.

Students will give a 15 minute oral presentation on their species at the end of the semester. These presentations follow a scientific meeting format with 12 minutes for the presentation and 3 minutes for questions.

Final class grade will be based on:
Exams 45%
Research Assignments 10%
Notebooks and participation 20%
Final oral presentation 10%
Final written report (web format) 15%

Photos by James B. Wood