People
|
Below are brief descriptions of the courses offered in Biological
Oceanography. You can follow the link on the course title to see a
more detailed syllabus.
| OC
440 Introduction to Biological Oceanography (3 credits)
Introduction to the ocean as an ecosystem, with emphasis on the
processes affecting productivity and structure of oceanic communities.
Interactions of biological processes with chemical, physical,
and geological processes in the ocean. Effects of light and nutrients
on phytoplankton, grazing by zooplankton, microbial activity and
recycling, distributional patterns of zooplankton and nekton,
ecology of benthic animals, marine fisheries, and pollution problems.
Offered annually. |
| OC 540 Biological Oceanography
(3 credits) Introduction to the ocean as an ecosystem, with emphasis
on the processes affecting productivity and structure of oceanic
communities. Interactions of biological processes with chemical,
physical and geological processes in the ocean. Effects of light
and nutrients on phytoplankton, grazing by zooplankton, microbial
activity and recycling, distributional patterns of zooplankton
and nekton, ecology of benthic animals, marine fisheries and pollution
problems. |
| OC 541 Marine Zooplankton (4 credits)
Small animal life in the sea: population biology, biogeography,
migrations, life cycles, physiology. Role of zooplankton in pelagic
ecosystem dynamics is examined through modeling. PREREQ: An ecology
course, invertebrate zoology, or OC 440/540. Offered alternate
years. |
| OC 542 Estuarine
Ecology and Biogeochemistry (4 credits) Provides an integrated
view of the ecologic processes in estuarine environments, with
a special emphasis on how these processes impact the biogeochemical
cycling of carbon and nitrogen. Major topics include introduction
to estuarine systems, including the geomorphology, physical oceanography
and chemistry of estuaries; estuarine primary production; detrital
food webs and carbon cycling; pelagic and benthic ecosystem processes
in estuaries; and abiotic and biotic controls on estuarine nutrient
cycling. Class discussions and current literature will also be
used to encourage students to integrate lecture topics and achieve
a comprehensive understanding of how the physical, chemical, and
biological properties of estuaries regulate ecological processes.
PREREQ: OC 440/OC 540 or instructor approval. |
| OC 644 Marine Phytoplankton Ecology
(4 credits) Ecology of the heterotrophic and photosynthetic plankton
in the oceans; autotrophic, heterotrophic and mixotrophic nutrition;
limitation of growth and photosynthesis by light, nutrients and
trace elements; grazing and other removal processes; primary productivity
and its control in major ocean provinces and in the global ocean;
role of marine phytoplankton in the global carbon balance on time
scales ranging from seasonal to glacial/interglacial. PREREQ:
OC 440/540 or two years of biology. Offered alternate years. |
| OC 645 Marine Phytoplankton Physiology (4
credits) Life processes of plankton algae: energy-capturing
processes, mineral nutrition, flotation mechanisms, cell division.
Evaluation of experimental procedures; problems of existence in
the open ocean; artificial production of maximum yields. PREREQ:
OC 644. Offered alternate years. |
|
OC 646 Physical/Biological Interactions in the Upper
Ocean (4 credits) Variability in physical oceanic processes
inthe upper ocean and relationship to spatial and temporal variations
in biomass, growth rates and other biological patterns in the
organisms of ocean surface waters. The relation between
variability in ocean physical phenomena and ecosystem dynamics,
including the requirements of sampling design for upper ocean
ecological studies. Time and space scales of physical
and biological phenomena in the upper ocean. PREREQ: OC 430/530
and OC 440/540 or consent of instructor. Offered alternate
years.
|
| OC 647
Marine Microbial Processes (4 credits) Roles of prokaryotic
and eukaryotic microbes in the biological and chemical processes
of the sea, with emphasis on pelagic ecosystems. Functional
and taxonomic types and distribution of marine microorganisms.
Biochemical and physiological processes of major groups of microbes
as these relate to geochemical cycles of biologically active elements
in the sea. Heterotrophic and mixotrophic protists in pelagic
foodwebs. Discussion of current experimental approaches to determining
aspects of microbial activity and production. PREREQ: Two years
of biology, OC 440/540, or consent of instructor. Offered alternate
years. |
| OC
648 Marine Benthic Ecology (4 credits) Ecology of
marine benthic organisms with emphasis on soft-sediment systems.
Sedimentology, fluid mechanics and geochemistry of the soft-sediment
environment with a focus on the influence of the sedimentary environment
on functional morphology, foraging ecology, and dispersal/settlement.
Examination of equilibrium and disequilibrium processes that structure
soft-bottom benthic communities. Discussions of current literature.
Field trip to Yaquina sand flat. Offered in the fall of odd years. |
|
