Marine Biodiversity

Catalog description

This hands-on, experiential field course introduces students to the biodiversity of marine organisms. Through lecture, field, and lab work, this course surveys the diversity of marine life, including protists, algae, invertebrates, fishes, reptiles, birds, and mammals in an evolutionary context, and the relationships among them. Field work includes the study of organisms from the waters around Shoals Marine Lab (Appledore Island, Gulf of Maine) in their natural habitats and in laboratories to allow close examination of anatomy and behavior. Students complete a field-based study of the biodiversity of marine organisms in natural environments, and will gain a working knowledge of the scope and nature of marine biodiversity, anthropogenic impacts on marine organisms and diversity, and the scientific methods used in the study of these topics. Attendees will live at Shoals Marine Lab (Appledore Island, Gulf of Maine) during this course.