Marine Invertebrate Zoology (5 credits) - Bermuda Institute of Ocean ...

Marine Invertebrate Zoology (5 credits)
Instructors: Dr. Gretchen Goodbody-Gringley and Chloe Newcomb-Hodgetts
Synopsis of course content
:
Marine Invertebrate Zoology
(MIZ) covers the major phyla
in as educational and
practical, yet interesting and
fun ways as possible. The
format and content of the
course is geared to upper
level undergraduates with a
biological science or
oceanographic background.
Comprising a combination of lectures, tutorials, practical lab studies, and
research projects covering the diversity and ecology of marine invertebrates,
emphasis is on local Bermudian species and their associated habitats, both inshore
and in open water. Due to the Gulf Stream and the Sargasso Sea,
Bermuda is home to unique assemblages of semi-tropical invertebrates thriving
in the most northern coral reefs, mangrove forests, oligotrophic open-ocean and
tropical seagrass beds in the Atlantic. Global issues relating to invertebrates and
their role in marine food webs, open fisheries and aquaculture will also be
discussed.
Field and laboratory work is extensive and experimental based, and will relate to
lectures given, thus increasing understanding of invertebrate physiology,
anatomy, diversity, habitats and behaviours. Students will be assessed by a
variety of mechanisms such as oral reports and presentations, written
assignments, and a more extensive research.
Some major groups of invertebrates will be emphasized in our studies of
systematics and biology: Protista (ciliates, foramnifera), Porifera (sponges),
Ctenophora (comb jellies), Cnidaria (corals, jellyfish, anemones), Annelida
(segmented worms), Crustacea (shrimps, crabs, zooplankton), Echinodermata
(sea urchins, sea cucumbers), Mollusca (snails, mussels, clams, cephalopods),
lophophorate animals (bryozoans, entoprocts), and Chordata (salps, larvaceans).
Selected other higher taxa are covered in less detail as they are encountered in
the field.
Invertebrate habitats typically explored and surveyed during the course include
coral reefs, mangroves, anchialine ponds, caves and cave pools, seagrass beds,
mud flats, open-ocean, coastal planktonic and rocky shores. Major environmental

characteristics and factors effective in the different habitats will be discussed,
examined and compared through field and laboratory experiments. Students will
also become familiar with the distinguishing characteristics of the major
invertebrate taxa and be able to identify higher taxa of marine invertebrates
globally.
Prerequisites
All participants in the course must be able to snorkel and must be comfortable in
the water, SCUBA certification is not essential, but is encouraged for maximum
course benefits. Students are expected to be juniors majoring in either life
science or environmental science, and to maintain 2.5 GPA.
Assignments
Students will be asked to maintain lab journals with records of their field and
laboratory observations and experiments, and these will be graded. Students will
also complete three detailed lab reports based on field and/or laboratory
experiments conducted during the course, and an assignment using outside data
sources such as an online database. These will be individually graded and will
count towards your final result.
Reading Material
No set textbook is required for the
semester, as BIOS’s library has an
extensive collection of appropriate
literature.
Exams
MIZ has a written mid term and a final exam, in addition to a final lab practical
exam. Every effort is made to stagger exams so they don't overlap with CRE
exams. However, the end of the semester is typically a busy time and students
are strongly encouraged to study all along and to not leave their notebooks and
final projects to the last minute.
Term Papers and oral presentations
Students are required to submit a final written paper that addresses a question
and/or hypothesis about some biological, chemical or ecological aspect of an
invertebrate of their choice; I will provide a tutorial on databases, literature
searches and statistical analyses of data. The written report will follow the style of
a journal article, and include abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion
and reference sections.

Students will also give a 15 minute oral presentation on their database project at
the end of the semester. These presentations follow a scientific meeting format
with 12 minutes for the presentation and 3 minutes for questions.
Final class grade will be based on:
• Mid-Term Exam: 15%
• Lab Exam: 10%
• Final Exam: 20%
• Database project and oral Assignment: 15%
• Written Assignment X 3: 5% each
• Lab Book: 5%
• Lab Reports: 10%
• Participation: 10%
Photos by James B. Wood