Marine Biology, Fall 2008

Course Synopsis

This course examines marine life of the world, with emphasis on the local nearshore and shallow sea ecosystems. We discuss the nature of the marine environment and the physiological, morphological and mechanical adaptations that marine organisms have evolved to cope with oceanic life. We review the patterns of organismal distribution and the processes that underlie the generation and maintenance of those patterns in each of the major pelagic and benthic ecosystems. Finally, an attempt is made to synthesize this information into generalized hypotheses of the determinants of diversity and distribution and abundance at several spatial and temporal scales.