EMBC+ MODULE 1: Understanding the structure and function of Marine Biodiversity
semester:
1
institute:
ects:
6
Starting from an overall aquatic food web, the course will give an in-depth, multidisciplinary approach of actual research topics as:
- structural biodiversity and its calculation
- functional biodiversity with a more detailed approach of key players in aquatic food webs:
- primary producers: marine photosynthetic organisms (macroalgae, seagrasses and scleractinian corals), ecological roles and ecophysiology
- zooplankton
- benthos (all size classes)
- toppredators and marine mammals in terms of their function, their organization and their morphological adaptations.
keywords:
Structural biodiversity, functional biodiversity, calculating biodiversity, primary producers, plankton, benthos, marine mammals
initial:
Basic knowledge of the biology of aquatic organisms (both plants and animals)
final:
To know how to calculate and interpret biodiversity, to get knowledge on the morphological adaptations of aquatic organisms, to understand their functioning in order to maintain aquatic biodiversity in their environments.