Co-Instructors: Jennifer Prairie and Michael Stukel
Instructor Email: jprairie@ucsd.edu, mstukel@ucsd.edu
Prerequisites: All students must complete a swim test that is administered by a Certified Lifeguard or American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor.

Introduction: This course will highlight the wide variety of life in the ocean as well as the processes that drive this diversity and how the different ecosystems function.

Course Description: The goal of this course is to introduce students to the myriad forms of life found below the surface of the ocean, while at the same time introducing them to the basic ecological, physical, and biological principles that govern these diverse habitats. The students will gain hands-on experience with marine life, which will help them develop an appreciation for organisms varying from tiny diatoms to larger organisms like crabs and fish. They will also learn about the role that mankind's actions play in the marine realm, in order to grasp the impact that we have on this vast environment.

At the same time, students will be gaining tools that will help them in future academic pursuits. They will learn to comprehend and discuss current scientific research articles. They will develop analytical skills in formulating and answering different scientific problems each week. They will be expected to speak in front of the class and give a presentation on a scientific topic of their own choosing that they will develop throughout the course.

The course will be divided into three distinct topics; the pelagic realm of plankton, the benthic environment, and the nekton, as discussed in the attached preliminary syllabus.

Course Overview
-To gain an understanding of the wide diversity of organisms that live in the ocean and how their physical surroundings affect them
-To gain hands-on experience with marine organisms
-To develop analytical skills in formulating and answering different scientific problems
-To develop speaking and research skills in presenting scientific topics to the class
-To learn to comprehend and discuss current scientific research articles
-To gain an understanding of mankind's relation to the ocean
-To gain an understanding of basic principles of ecological interactions and evolutionary adaptations

Expectations: Students will be gaining tools that will help them in future academic pursuits. They will develop analytical skills in formulating and answering different scientific problems each week, so class participation is important. Students will participate in hands-on activities. They will be expected to speak in front of the class and give a presentation on a scientific topic of their own choosing that they will develop throughout the course. Students will also be expected to read and discuss current scientific research articles.

Course Outline:

Week 1: Plankton and the Ocean Environment

July 7: Introduction to the Ocean Environment

July 8: Phytoplankton and Primary Productivity

Activity: Trip to Scripps Pier and Plankton Tow

July 9: Zooplankton

Activity: Observation of Zooplankton with Microscopes

July 10: Variability and Distribution of the Plankton

Activity: Discussion of Selected Scientific Papers Emphasizing Current

Research in Plankton Studies

July 11: Other Topics in Plankton Ecology

Activity: Review and Quiz

 

Week 2: Invertebrates and Benthic Ecosystems

July 14: Benthic Ecosystems and Introduction to the Major Invertebrate Phyla

Activity: Trip to Tide Pools and Work on Class Project

July 15: Arthropoda - The Rocky Intertidal Habitat and Kelp Forests

Activity: Trip to Computer Lab

July 16: Mollusca and Echinodermata - Marine Sediment Habitats and the Deep Sea

Activity: Trip to Benthic Invertebrate Collection and Scripps Library

July 17: Porifera, Cnidaria, Worms and Other Assorted Phyla - The Coral Reef Habitat

Activity: Movie ñ ìAn Inconvenient Truthî

July 18: Mankind and the Oceans

Activity: Review and Quiz

 

Week 3: Nekton

July 21: Introduction to Nekton

Activity: Trip to Fish Collection

July 22: Fish

Activity: Snorkeling at La Jolla Cove

July 23: Marine Mammals, Cephalapods and Other Nekton

Activity: Trip to Birch Aquarium

July 24: Presentations

July 25: Activity: Work on Poster for Closing Day