6 EC
Semester 1, period 2
5224BEEC6Y
Below each body of water—from deep oceans to mountain lakes—there are ecosystems consisting of benthic (bottom-dwelling) organisms that form complex food-web structures depending on their physical environment. Factors such as light, temperature, salinity, substrate-type and water-flow are important drivers for the structure of each of these dynamic systems. Interactions between organisms at different trophic levels are unraveled by an interdisciplinary approach of biology, geology and chemistry. Ultimately, the discipline “Benthic Ecology” aims to understand how these ecosystems function, impact their environment and even predict their dynamics in a changing world.
The course is organized in lectures, excursions and the writing of a research proposal. The lectures are divided into three parts:
Part I: Benthic Ecosystems and their physical environment
Which factors control the structure and shape of Benthic Ecosystems? We will discuss a wide variety of Benthic Ecosystems from 12 km below sea-level (mid-ocean ridges and deep-sea coral reefs) to 6 km above sea-level (mountain lakes); from temperate (Wadden Sea and Oosterschelde intertidal flats) to tropical (coral reefs, including mangrove and seagrass ecosystems) and from fast flowing (rivers) to stagnant (lakes and ditches).
Part II: Functioning of Benthic Ecosystems
The main processes and material fluxes in sediments and water column will be described:
· Trophic interactions, i.e. how energy and nutrient sources are coupled between pelagic (free-swimming) and benthic (both sessile and motile) organisms.
· The role of benthic communities on organic matter degradation and element cycling in soft sediments.
Part III: Benthic Ecosystems and human impact
Understanding how ecosystems function, enables you to assess how these ecosystems change by human impact, such as overfishing, mega-trawling, ocean acidification and eutrophication. We will analyze whether we can predict shifts in ecosystem structure and functioning as a consequence of these impacts. We will also discuss the application of ecosystem knowledge to construct artificial ecosystems. For example, to develop sustainable forms of multi-trophic aquaculture for food, energy and medicine production.
Excursions:
During this course students can:
Writing a research proposal to obtain funding:
Applying for funding is a crucial part of a future career in science. Based on an actual funding application format (the KNAW Fund for Ecology), each student will write a proposal using an ecosystem approach, and therefore will apply knowledge derived from the course lectures and excursions. Groups of 5 or 6 students will choose a topic linked to a benthic ecosystem (for example: seagrass and mangroves, bioremediation, Markermeer shallow lake ecosystem, multi-trophic integrated aquaculture). Each student then collects, reads and discusses (with his/her group) literature specific for their own topic within the ecosystem. A research question and a subsequent experimental approach will be formulated as an individual assignment. The end result will be a proposal of maximum 2 pages, which serves to apply for funding for your own specific project. We will assess the proposal as if they would be by the KNAW panel and only proposals of the highest quality will be "funded". This scientific writing in order to obtain funding exercise will greatly improve the (much-needed) writing capabilities of future scientists, policy makers, entrepreneurs or journalists.
After completion of the course Benthic Ecosystems students are able to:
This course is based on:
|
Activity |
Number of hours |
|
Lectures |
32 |
|
Colloquium |
6 |
|
Research Proposal |
50 |
|
Excursion |
16 |
|
Question hour |
2 |
|
Written exam |
3 |
|
Self study |
40 |
The programme does not have requirements concerning attendance (OER-B).
Additional requirements for this course:
Attendance at lectures and excursions is highly recommended.
| Item and weight | Details | Remarks |
|
Final grade | ||
|
60% Written Exam | Must be ≥ 5 | overall grade must be >= 5.5 |
|
40% Research Proposal | Must be ≥ 5 | overall grade must be >= 5.5 |
Resit is possible for written exam. For at least twenty working days after the announcement of the results of a written examination, the student can, on request, inspect his/her assessed work, the questions and assignments set, as well as the standards applied for marking. The place and time will be announced via Blackboard (from Teaching and Examination Regulations).
The students will receive a mark for their research proposals, which will be assessed on colloquium (10%), content and focus (30%), organization (15%), writing style (30%) and proposal format (15%). The assessment rubric will be provided through Blackboard. If requirements for research proposal are not met, student is obliged to improve his/her work until cut-off (minimal 5 and overall grade for course >= 5.5) is reached in consult with supervisor.
The manner of inspection will be communicated via the digitial learning environment.
Each student writes his/her own research proposal, which includes presenting research question and approach in colloquium. Feedback on colloquium is given in small workgroups and by supervisor. Feedback on written proposal is given by supervisor (3 times 20 min time slots per student)
Written exams are assessed individually. In week 4, 2 hours of questions on upcoming exams are scheduled.
Onderstaande opdrachten komen aan bod in deze cursus:
The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.uva.nl/plagiarism
| Weeknummer | Onderwerpen | Studiestof |
| 1 complete course schedule is provided through blackboard | ||
| 2 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ||
| 5 | ||
| 6 | ||
| 7 | ||
| 8 |
The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.
This course is obligatory for students that apply for the course within the Master track Limnology & Oceanography.
Knowledge of Marine and Freshwater Biology and Ecology is required and Biochemistry is strongly recommended.