marine biology, marine ecology, field biology and oceanography – a melting pot of ideas

MARINE BIOLOGY, MARINE ECOLOGY,

FIELD BIOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY –

A MELTING POT OF IDEAS

Pamela LynchJean Anastasia

Suffolk County Community College

How to grab attention and keep interest?

We teach a variety of courses to non-science majors

Introduction to Oceanography, Marine Biology, and Marine Habitat Ecology

Many students take more than one of these courses

We try to reduce content overlap but wanted a way to make the courses cohesive

Biophilia “'the innate tendency [in human beings]

to focus on life and lifelike process” E.O. Wilson 1984

The love of living things

Popular Culture 150 million people

go to zoos & aquariums per year Association of Zoos & Aquariums

(www.aza.org)

73 million attended baseball games in 2010 http://espn.go.com/mlb/

attendance/_/year/2010

http://animal.discovery.com/

Conservation Biology Uses Biophilia Global warming

Polar Bears Pacific Northwest

Forests:Spotted owl

Bamboo ForestsPanda bears

Coral ReefsSea turtles or Nemo

endangeredspaces.blogspot.com

http://statesmansentinel.com

rst.gsfc.nasa.gov

care2.com

Biophilia in the Classroom Use this innate interest in the classroom

Robert Boyd, US Air Force Academy, NABT meetings 2010

Focus on the organisms and use them as the starting point to teach science

For our exercise we made organismal cards (covering everything from bacteria to baleen whales, including 3 Marine Kingdoms) and can then teach course content for 3 classes individually (or even together!)

Ascophyllum nodosumKnotted wrack Domain Eukarya

Kingdom Protista○Phylum Phaeophyta

Class Phaeophyceae

Emiliania huxleyiCoccolithophore (phytoplankton) Domain Eukarya

Kingdom Protista○Phylum Haptophyta

Class Prymnesiophycaea

Busycon caricaKnobbed whelk Domain Eukarya

Kingdom Animalia○Phylum Mollusca

Class Gastropoda

Loligo pealeiLong-finned squid Domain Eukarya

Kingdom Animalia○Phylum Mollusca

Class Cephalopoda

Morone saxatilusStriped bass Domain Eukarya

Kingdom Animalia○Phylum Chordata; Subphylum

VertebrataSuperclass Osteichthyes

Phoca vitulinaHarbor seal Domain Eukarya

Kingdom Animalia○Phylum Chordata; subphylum

VertebrataClass Mammalia; Order

Pinniped

Zostera marinaEelgrass Domain Eukarya

Kingdom Plantae○Phylum Magnoliophyta

(Angiospermae)Class (Monocots)

Ursus maritimusPolar Bear Domain Eukarya



Carnivora

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ursus_maritinus.jpg

Orcinus orcaOrca Whale Domain Eukarya



Cetacean-Suborder: Odontoceti

Marine Biology Focus on (biotic) LIVING THINGS Classification Taxonomy

Other options: Common Adaptations or Characteristics

of Marine Animals

The major groups of life

ClassificationIsTricky…

Marine Biology Exercise Give all students a card and then ask

them to “get together” based on classification; you can be as broad or as specific as the course allows - e.g. All Animals form a group (broad) or all Arthropods form a group (more specific) or all Arthropod Crustaceans form a group (even more specific)…

Oceanography Focus on (abiotic) OCEAN SYSTEMS Depth/Marine Zones in the Ocean Marine Habitats

Other options: Marine Oceanographic terms such as

“Benthic” vs. “Pelagic;” “Nekton” vs. “Plankton” or “Aphotic” vs. Photic”

Figure 10.12

Marine zones

Oceanography Exercise Give all students a card and then ask

them to “get together” based on marine zone animal is likely to be found in. Again, you can be as broad or as specific as the course allows - e.g. All Benthic Animals form a group (broad) or all benthic/Intertidal Animals form a group (more specific). You could even divide based on depth (& add more animals)!

Marine Ecology Focus on Abiotic and Biotic

INTERACTIONS Trophic Levels: Producers, Primary

Consumers, Secondary Consumers Trophic Levels in Key Habitats (such as

Polar Seas or Coral Reefs)

Other options: Combination of all 3 courses!

Food pyramid that leads to an adult herring

Antarctic food chain

Combination ofmarine zones and species with depth interactionshighlighted

Marine Ecology Exercise Give all students a card and then ask

them to “get together” based on who they eat (or get eaten by). You can be as broad or as specific as the course allows - e.g. All Consumers form a group (broad) or all Primary Consumers form a group (more specific) or all Secondary Consumers that are also planktonic form a group (even more specific)…

All Card Examples Here

Ascophyllum nodosumKnotted wrack

• Domain Eukarya– Kingdom Protista

• Phylum Phaeophyta–Class Phaeophyceae

Chondrus crispusIrish moss


• Phylum Rhodophyta–Class Rhodophyceae

Codium fragileGreen fleece; dead man’s fingers


• Phylum Chlorophyta–Class Chlorophyceae

Emiliania huxleyiCoccolithophore (phytoplankton)


• Phylum Haptophyta–Class Prymnesiophycaea

Microciona proliferaRed beard sponge

• Domain Eukarya– Kingdom Animalia

• Phylum Porifera–Class Demospongiae

Metridium senileFrilled anemone


• Phylum Cnideria–Class Anthozoa

Balanus balanoidesNorthern rock barnacle


• Phylum Arthropoda–Class Crustacea

Busycon caricaKnobbed whelk


• Phylum Mollusca–Class Gastropoda

Mercenaria mercenariaHard-shelled clam; quahog


• Phylum Mollusca–Class Bivalvia

Cyanea capillataLion’s mane jellyfish


• Phylum Cnidaria–Class Scyphozoa

Acartia tonsaCopepod



Loligo pealeiLong-finned squid


• Phylum Mollusca–Class Cephalopoda

Nereis virensClam worm


• Phylum Annelida–Class Polychaeta

Crangon septemspinosaSand shrimp



Limulus polyphemusAtlantic horseshoe crab


• Phylum Arthropoda–Class Merostomata

Callinectes sapidusBlue crab


• Phylum Arthropoda–Class Crustacea; Order Decopoda

Strongylocentrotus droebachiensisGreen sea urchin


• Phylum Echinodermata–Class Echinoidea

Asterias forbesiiForbes’ sea star


• Phylum Echinodermata–Class Stelleroidea

Morone saxatilusStriped bass


• Phylum Chordata; Subphylum Vertebrata–Superclass Osteichthyes

Rhinoptera bonasusCownose ray


• Phylum Chordata; Subphylum Vertebrata–Class Chondrichthyes

Sphyrna lewiniScalloped hammershead shark


• Phylum Chordata; Subphylum Vertebrata–Class Chondrichthyes

Myxine glutinosaAtlantic hagfish


• Phylum Chordata; Subphylum Agnatha–Class Myxini

Phoca vitulinaHarbor seal


• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata–Class Mammalia; Order Pinniped

Balenoptera acutorostrataMinke whale


• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata–Class Mammalia; Order Cetacean;

»- Suborder: mysticeti

Chelonia mydasGreen sea turtle


• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata–Class Reptilia

Charadrius melosusPiping plover


• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata–Class Aves

Delphinus delphisShort-beaked common dolphin


• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata–Class Mammalia; Order Cetacean– Suborder Odonteceti

Vibrio harveyiVibrio; bioluminescent marine bacteria

• Domain Bacteria (Prokaryote)– Kingdom Proteobacteria

• Phylum Gammaproteobacteria

Spartina alternifloraSmooth cord grass

• Domain Eukarya– Kingdom Plantae

• Phylum Magnoliophyta (Angiospermae)–Class (Monocots)

Zostera marinaEelgrass

• Domain Eukarya– Kingdom Plantae

• Phylum Magnoliophyta (Angiospermae)–Class (Monocots)

Trichechus manatusManatee


• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata–Class Mammalia; Order Sirenia

Ursus maritimusPolar Bear


• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata–Class Mammalia; Order Carnivora

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ursus_maritinus.jpg

Orcinus orcaOrca Whale


• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata–Class Mammalia; Order Cetacean

»Suborder: Odontoceti

Aptenodytes forsteri(Emperor) Penguin


• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata–Class Aves

Millepora (spp.)Fire Coral


• Phylum Cnideria–Class Anthozoa

marine biology, marine ecology, field biology and oceanography – a melting pot of ideas

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