MaReMa > IFM > Lecturing > IFM Online > Introduction to Aquatic Biology

Aim

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Course description

Main object of the course is to give the student basic knowledge of aquatic biology and physical oceanography with focus on the marine environment and organisms which can be used as food for man.

Course content is organized in 10 main themes

A. Physical Oceanography of world oceans:

  • Topography (World oceans, area of land versus ocean surface, depths of the oceans, productive areas of continental shelves (coasts, estuaries, fjords)).
  • Characteristics of seawater (Salinity, temperature, pressure, density/sigma-t) versus freshwater.
  • Water-currents (Primary and secondary forces: examples of water currents driven by density-differences, tides, wind and atmospheric pressure and the effect of topography and Corioli’s force on the direction of the currents). Examples of upwelling and formation of deep-water.
  • Sampling equipment, sampling techniques and water analyses in physical oceanography.
  • Physical oceanography of selected geographical areas with aquatic food -resources (focus on Atlantic Ocean, fjords (examples from Norway and Chile), polar areas (focus on the Arctic and especially the Barents Sea), and large freshwater lakes.

B. Aquatic Biology and Ecology
Focus on tropho-dynamics and selected taxa with world-wide economical significance; especially those with importance as food for man

  • Trophic relationships. Primary production (photosynthesis) versus secondary production. Important predators in the sea with focus on organisms utilizing the same resources as man (examples: sea-urchins, sea-stars). Regenerative production versus new production.
  • Crustaceans (barnacles, krill, crabs, snails, shrimps, lobsters)
  • Molluscans (snails, shells, mussels, bivalves, cephalopods
  • Aquatic plants and conspicuous invertebrate taxa with many species and a few resources (Benthic algae, Echinodermata/cucumbers and sea-urchins, Ascidiacea/Pyura)
  • Vertebrates with focus on fish and marine mammals