BIO413 Coastal Benthic Ecology
- ECTS Credits:
- 10
- Responsible department:
- Faculty of Engineering and Science
- Course Leader:
- Tove Margrethe Gabrielsen
- Lecture Semester:
- Autumn
- Duration:
- 1 term
The course is connected to the following study programs
Course contents
The course provides a thorough introduction to temperate coastal marine benthic ecosystems. The
course will give more specialized insights into organisms and ecological interactions of the coastal
eastern North Atlantic focusing on the Skagerrak/North Sea regions. Students will be introduced to
coastal and shelf environments and benthic habitats.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
Upon completing the course, the students will:
Understand the ecological interactions characteristic of the benthic ecosystem along the eastern
Atlantic coastlines and be able to describe the dominant functional groups of this system. They will
know the characteristics of temperate coastal ecosystems and how these differ from ecosystems of
other biographical regions. They will be able to characterize the main marine benthic habitats, and to
discuss current human influence on coastal organisms.
Skills
Upon completing the course, the students will:
Be able to identify the dominant benthic flora and fauna along the Agder coastline. They will be able
to formulate hypotheses and design studies to investigate questions related to coastal ecology.
General competences
Upon completing the course, the students will:
Have acquired practical experience related to marine sampling and to relating field data to scientific
questions. They will gain experience in collaboration through group work, be able to synthesize and
visualize their results and to present these in a scientific format.
Examination requirements
Field excursions, laboratory work and required presentations are compulsory learning activities.
Teaching methods
The course will use a combination of lectures, seminars, field work, laboratory work and group
project work. The course will start with lectures and seminars/discussions to introduce students to
relevant topics including the field project. 3-5 days will be spent in the field to sample material and
data for student projects.
Estimated workload for the average student is 270 hours.
Evaluation
The course runs over 6 weeks and will have an end of course evaluation.
Assessment methods and criteria
The course assessment is based on a written, 3-hr exam (50%) and a report based on group work
(50%). For the group report, the group as a whole is graded. The course is graded by letters (A-F).