Synopsis of course content
Marine Invertebrate Zoology (MIZ) covers the major phyla in as educational and practical, yet interesting and fun ways as possible. The format and content of the course is geared to upper level undergraduates with a biological science or oceanographic background. Comprising a combination of lectures, tutorials, practical lab studies, and research projects covering the diversity and ecology of marine invertebrates, emphasis is on local Bermudian species and their associated habitats, both in-shore and in open water. Due to the Gulf Stream and the Sargasso Sea, Bermuda is home to unique assemblages of semi-tropical invertebrates thriving in the most northern coral reefs, mangrove forests, oligotrophic open-ocean and tropical seagrass beds in the Atlantic. Global issues relating to invertebrates and their role in marine food webs, open fisheries and aquaculture will also be discussed.
Field and laboratory work is extensive and experimental based, and will relate to lectures given, thus increasing understanding of invertebrate physiology, anatomy, diversity, habitats and behaviours. Students will be assessed by a variety of mechanisms such as oral reports and presentations, written assignments, and a more extensive research.
Some major groups of invertebrates will be emphasized in our studies of systematics and biology: Protista (ciliates, foramnifera), Porifera (sponges), Ctenophora (comb jellies), Cnidaria (corals, jellyfish, anemones), Annelida (segmented worms), Crustacea (shrimps, crabs, zooplankton), Echinodermata (sea urchins, sea cucumbers), Mollusca (snails, mussels, clams, cephalopods), lophophorate animals (bryozoans, entoprocts), and Chordata (salps, larvaceans). Selected other higher taxa are covered in less detail as they are encountered in the field.
Invertebrate habitats typically explored and surveyed during the course include coral reefs, mangroves, anchialine ponds, caves and cave pools, seagrass beds, mud flats, open-ocean, coastal planktonic and rocky shores. Major environmental characteristics and factors effective in the different habitats will be discussed, examined and compared through field and laboratory experiments. Students will also 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 essential, but is encouraged for maximum course benefits.
Students are expected to be juniors majoring in either life science or environmental science, and to maintain 2.5 GPA.
Assignments
Students will be asked to maintain lab journals with records of their field and laboratory observations and experiments, and these will be graded. Students will also complete three detailed lab reports based on field and/or laboratory experiments conducted during the course, and an assignment using outside data sources such as an online database. These will be individually graded and will count towards your final result.
Reading Material
Please bring a copy of Jan A. Pechenik "Biology of the Invertebrates" 5th or 6th edition with you to Bermuda. BIOS will provide a number of other book references and journal articles during the class which will be available online or in our library.
Exams
MIZ has a written mid term and a final exam, in addition to a final lab practical 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 that addresses a question and/or hypothesis about some biological, chemical or ecological aspect of an invertebrate of their choice; I will provide a tutorial on databases, literature searches and statistical analyses of data. The written report will follow the style of a journal article, and include abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion and reference sections.
Students will also give a 15 minute oral presentation on their database project 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:
Mid-Term Exam: 15%
Lab Exam: 10%
Final Exam: 20%
Database project and oral Assignment: 15%
Written Assignment X 3: 5% each
Lab Book: 5%
Lab Reports: 10%
Participation: 10%
Photos by James B. Wood
