Diversity of Coral Reef Animals

Syllabus

Requirements

Readings will be taken from the literature and from the text: Marine Biology, 8th edition, by Castro and Huber  (2010, McGraw-Hill)

How to succeed in this class: The work in this class will encourage you to think like a scientist.  What are the significant questions regarding coral reef animal diversity?  How did reefs and the organisms that inhabit them evolve?  What are the physical attributes of reefs?  What are persuasive methods, experiments, and observations by which to study the animals in the reef?  Take responsibility for your own learning.  You will find the work much more rewarding if you come to class prepared, having read the assignment carefully so that you can participate in discussions. Be a considerate listener to contributions of others; attendance in class is required. BE ON TIME!   Please check my office hours (posted outside my office, Dickinson 108) or make an appointment with me at the end of class.  If you are having difficulty with the work, please come talk to me!  

Students will write two or three essay problem sets. Late papers will not be accepted. All of the assigned work must be completed in order to pass this course. If you must miss a class it is your responsibility to get the assignment and come to the next class prepared. From time to time, I may give a brief quiz on the assigned reading at the beginning of a class. Come to each class with written notes on the reading assignment and include a thesis statement, a specific comment, and a question.  Please do not email me or leave phone messages for trivial matters (e.g. is it ok for me to be late...can you put the assignment in my box...etc.). Please check my office hours (posted outside my office, Dickinson 108) or make an appointment with me at the end of class.

This class is excellent preparation for Field Course in Coral Reef Science (Jan. 4-11, 2014)

Topics

Coral Reef Primer - Knowlton

Why are coral reefs so important?

CoRIS-National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Coral Reef Information System

• What are coral reefs

• Properties of Ocean
  • Water
  • Salinity
  • Temperature

• What is a Coral Reef?
  • Coral bleaching
  • Laws of Thermodynamics
  • Bean simulation
  • Long-term region-wide declines in Caribbean corals
  • Confronting the coral reef crisis
  • Baselines and degradation of coral reefs in the Northern Line Islands

• Evolutionary Theory
  • Importance of mutations
  • Questions of diversity

• Phylogeny (Betsy's marine diversity ppt)
  • What animals live in the sea
  • Major animal phyla including:
    • Porifera
      • The mother of us all
    • Cnidaria
      • Transparent animals
      • Coral spawn timing
    • Platyhelminthes
    • Annelida
    • Mollusca
      • Reef squid anti-predator activity
      • Octopus
      • Secrets of the shell
    • Arthropoda
      • Mantis shrimp
    • Echinodermata
      • Recovery of Diadema
    • Chordata
      • Why are coral reef fish so colorful?
      • What can reef fish see?
      • Leafy sea dragons

• Homeostasis and behavior-how to survive and reproduce
  • Evolution of cleaning symbiosis
  • Sex determination in fish-1
  • Sex determination in fish-2
  • Sea turtle navigation
  • Shark electric sense
  • Cleaning symbiosis
  • Hermaphroditism

• Ecology
  • Feeding ecology of invasive lionfish - James Morris, NOAA
  • Hybridization and the Evolution of Reef Coral Diversity
  • Reef fish populations-open or closed?
  • Larval fish-swimming for dear life
  • Dangers of ocean acidification
  • Mangrove communities
  • Fishkilling in reefs
  • Shark populations
  • Absence of sharks
  • Lionfish invasion
  • Larval connectivity
  • Trophic cascades
  • Effects of invasive Pacific red lionfish v. native predator

• Conservation
  • Phase Shifts, Herbivory, and the Resilience of Coral Reefs to Climate Change
  • Repopulation of Zooxanthellae in the Caribbean Corals Montastraea annularis and M. faveolata following Experimental and Disease-Associated Bleaching
  • Projecting Coral Reef Futures Under Global Warming and Ocean Acidification
  • Coral reef management and conservation in light of rapidly evolving ecological paradigms
  • Preparing to manage coral reefs for ocean acidification: lessons from coral bleaching
  • A global analysis of the effectiveness of marine protected areas in preventing coral loss (PLoS)

Some Interesting Websites

• NOAA-coral reef monitoring
• Coral reef bleaching
• REEF-Reef Environmental Education Foundation
• Smithsonian Institution-Ocean Portal
• World Resources Institute

Class Comportment and Common Decency

It is important for all of us to come together as a group interested in discussing problems in coral reef biology.  Each of us is part of this group, and as such, our behavior is not just about each of us as individuals, but also about being members of a group. 

Be respectful and attentive.  Do not arrive late, as it is disrespectful and disruptive.  Do not leave the room during class, as it is disrespectful and disruptive.  Plan your time.  Use the bathroom before class.  Bring water, tissues, lozenges, etc. with you. Do not engage in any activity that you would avoid at a job interview (e.g. do not pick your nose or skin, do not slouch, play with your hair, chew on your nails, etc.)  Turn off your cell phone before coming to class.  Do not surf the web or check your email during class. 

Class attendance is required.  Plan your work. All assignments must be submitted on time in order to pass this class. Frequently I write assignments on the board or project them in class so be prepared to write them down. If you must miss a class, it is your responsibility to get the assignment and find out from another student about missed work. If you plan to miss class before or after Long Weekend or Thanksgiving, either change your plans or do not take this class.  If you plan to miss the last class, either change your plan, or do not take this class. An absence is an absence with no distinction between excused and not.

The work is the thing.