BIOL 114 - Marine Biology with Lab

5 credits

Prerequisites
Placement in READ 090 or above; placement in MATH 070 or above.

This is an introduction to marine biology that exlplores the physical stucture, ocean chemistry, marine organisms, with an emphasis on diversity, adaptations, and classification, marine ecology and the impact of human interactions with the oceans. 4 theory hours, 2 guided practice hours per week, with some longer weekend field trips required.

Theory Hours
4 theory hours.

Guided Practice Hours
1 guided practice hour.

AA General Elective
Meets requirements for Natural Sciences Distribution Area A.

Course Outcomes
Students will exhibit understanding of the process of scinece by being able to

formulate a research question, perform a literature review and generate a workable hypothesis and prediction,
design an experiment that would test the hypothesis,
collect and analyze data and communicate the data properly,
write and present findings.

Students will know the structure of our oceans allowing them to make connections to

climate and weather patterns, both locally, regionally, and globally,
distribution of life in the oceans

Students will become familiar with the major taxa of living organisms in the marine environment and their evolutionary relationships. This will be evident by knowing:

the role and construction of phylogenies,
the taxonomy and characteristics of the major groups of marine organisms,
the mechanisms of biological evolution.

Students will learn basic ecological principles and relate those to the various ecosystems that make up the marine environment such as the: rocky intertidal, kelp forests, coral reefs, estuaries, and the deep sea.

Students will exhibit understanding of the anthropogenic effects on the oceans as well as potential ideas about minimizing these effects; understanding will be assessed by their ability to correctly interpret related data about human’s effects and our mitigating efforts.