Zooplankton Ecology and Processes

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Laboratory skills in zooplankton identification
• Methods for analysing zooplankton seasonal and annual time-series
• Contemporary topics in plankton research
• How to access databases of relevance to international zooplankton research

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Library information retrieval
• Safe laboratory working practices
• Working in small groups
• Data analysis and interpretation

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Recognise the diversity of zooplankton and be able to identify common species using taxonomic guides.
• Understand the key role zooplankton play in marine pelagic food webs.
• Be aware how plankton dynamics and pelagic ecosystem function differ in response to hydroclimatic variability, through the use of zooplankton indicator species, statistical analysis of long-term datasets and hypothesis-testing research.
• Be familiar with zooplankton feeding ecology – what they eat and how they are adapted to detect, capture and eat their prey.
• Understand how biotic and abiotic factors regulate zooplankton distribution and abundance.
• Have a good working knowledge of zooplankton sampling methods and open access databases and how to choose the most appropriate methods to answer specific research questions.

Marine zooplankton communities consist of permanent and temporary members, including the larvae of many fish and benthic invertebrates, thus acting as vehicles for population exchange and diversification. Zooplankton play an important role in the functioning of marine ecosystems and in biogeochemical cycles, linking pelagic primary production to higher trophic levels, including commercially important fish, mammals and seabirds. In addition to their functional role, marine zooplankton are considered to be excellent indicators of climate change because a) most species are short lived, which leads to tight coupling between environmental change and plankton dynamics, and b) they are free floating, so respond easily to changes in temperature and oceanic current systems by expanding and contracting their ranges.

In this course you will learn to recognise the diversity of marine zooplankton taxa; the factors that regulate their distribution and abundance, both now and in the future; and the fundamental role they play in marine ecosystem function. There are 5 broad themes: 1) Biodiversity; 2) Patterns of distribution; 3) Sampling and monitoring; 4) Feeding and food webs; and 5) Anthropogenic climate change.

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures: pre-recorded lectures will provide underlying structure.

Live sessions: consisting of interactive group work, discussions, quizzes, and practicals will build on and support aspects of the lecture series

The Blackboard site contains everything to support the module: course synopsis and timetable, pre-recorded lectures and electronic files, additional reading material as pdfs and relevant websites, groupings and assignment marks. All announcements relating to this course will be made via email sent via this Blackboard site.

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

ICES zooplankton methodology manual. Harris R. (2000). e-book (available in the library)

Elements of marine ecology, 4th edition. Tait RV (1998). e-book (available in the library)

A mechanistic approach to plankton ecology Kiørboe T (2008). e-book (available in the library)

Encyclopedia of ocean sciences, 2nd electronic edition. Steele JH (2008). e-book (available in the library)

Biological oceanography. Miller CB (2004). e-book (available in the library)

Advances in marine biology, Vol 33: The biology of calanoid copepods. Mauchline J (1998). e-book (available in the library)

Internet Resources

On Blackboard you will find pdfs of key papers and book chapters to support specific lectures within each Topic Folder and the Library link..

Assessment strategy

Mid-term assessment (50%): Poster presentations, testing LOs1,3,4,5,6.

End of module assessment (50%): Data analysis exercise, testing LO2.

In addition to the summative assessments outlined above, there are a number of opportunities for revision, formative assessment and feedback with the aim of helping you improve your understanding of the subject:

i)Pre-recorded lectures containing Q&As will published on the module Blackboard site;

ii)Quizzes and self-assessment formative tests on Blackboard and in live sessions;

iii)Opportunities for discussion with, and verbal feedback from peers, demonstrators and staff;

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.