Module overview
This module is only open to year 3 students registered on MSci Biology and Marine Biology, BSc Biology and Marine Biology, BSc Marine Biology with Oceanography, MSci Marine Biology and Oceanography, Msci Marine Biology and BSc Marine Biology degrees.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- To explain the central physiological characteristics of symbiotic corals and their significance for adaptation to different environmental conditions.
- To summarise the environmental conditions that underpin coral reef habitats.
- To organise information relevant to the survival of corals and other reef organisms and present them effectively in graphical and written form.
- To debate about the significance and rationale behind efforts for marine conservation, considering the effects of differential environments on coral reef ecosystem functioning
- To identify corals and main reef organisms based on morphology and quantify areas of coral cover.
- To identify the main organisms that build coral reefs.
- To evaluate the challenges imposed by climate change on coral reefs and the potential for local mitigation strategies.
Syllabus
The module will focus on tropical coral reefs, benthic marine habitats created by the habitat-founding species, most important, by calcifying organisms such as scleractinian corals.
Through dedicated lectures and practical work students will develop skills in identifying major reef building corals and understand how they interact with other species to form coral reefs.
They will examine how oceanographic conditions, the complex nutrient cycling processes and the symbiotic associations make coral reefs hot spots of primary production in otherwise oligotrophic oceans, the basis of the longstanding Darwin Paradox.
Students will value the ecosystem services offered by coral reefs such as coastline protection, sheltering of other important ecosystems such as seagrass beds and mangroves, sustaining fisheries, ornamental trade and tourism, and being a source for biopharmaceuticals.
Using research-led examples, emphasis will be placed on the in-depth study of the physiology of corals and their symbionts, providing the knowledge basis that is required to understand the responses of reef organisms to their environment, and their capacity to adapt to different reef habitats and geographical regions.
Students will assess how coral reefs are threatened at the local scale by overfishing, destructive coastal development and eutrophication and how climate change imposes stress on coral reefs at the global scale, exposing them to ocean warming and acidification. The students will integrate and apply the knowledge acquired during the course to evaluate how temperature, light and nutrient stress can lead to a breakdown of the vital symbiosis between the corals and their algal partners that manifests as coral bleaching. They will analyse the potential consequences of coral bleaching such as coral disease outbreaks, die-offs and ecosystem phase-shifts that can lead to loss of ecosystem functioning.
Finally, presentations of case studies by guest speakers will discuss the breath of coral reef–related research at the University of Southampton. Topics include for instance coastal management practices, artificial reefs, climate change and sea level rise and the use of coral skeletons as archives for past climate conditions and historical reef ecology.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Lectures/Worshops: A series of core lectures will introduce and analyse central aspects of coral reef biology, ecology and biogeochemistry, including the physiological functioning of symbiotic reef corals and the implications for adaptation and evolution of reefs under the influence of changing environmental conditions.
Case Studies: Research-centred topics of relevant interest will be covered by lectures given by guest speakers discussing their topical research carried out in Southampton and in collaborating institutions
Practical sessions in coral reef biology and monitoring
1) Coral Taxonomy: A laboratory-based practical dedicated to the identification of corals at the genus and species level.
2) Coral Ecology and Reproduction: Insights in coral aquaculture and the potential for research and conservation strategies.
3) Coral Bleaching: Quantification of coaral bleaching in the laboratory, studying corals that are kept in captivity under different environmental parameters.
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Independent Study | 110 |
Teaching | 40 |
Total study time | 150 |
Assessment
Assessment strategy
A written report on the laboratory practical and a project report covering all aspects of the module.
Feedback will be provided in written and / or oral form.
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Exam | 70% |
Short test | 30% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External