General:   The goals of the course are to provide (a) an introduction to the major tropical marine habitats, and (b) provide a strong foundation in the ecological processes that control tropical marine ecosystems. We will survey the varying habitats of tropical marine ecosystems, focusing on organisms that are characteristic of each habitat and the processes that control the abundance and distribution of those organisms. We will introduce all major tropical marine habitats, but the course will focus on coral reefs in general and Caribbean coral reefs in particular. The survey of the Caribbean reef fauna will prepare students for the companion field course, Bio 412/512 (A Field Course in Tropical Marine Ecology). In our treatment of these ecosystems we will emphasize a hypothesis-testing approach, and we will rely heavily on the primary literature for examples used in class.

Meeting Time & Place:    Mon ,Wed. & Fri 11:00-11:50 Baldy 110

Course Instructors:     Mary Alice Coffroth                     Howard Lasker

                                661 Hochstetter                             635 Hochstetter

                                Phone: 645-3380                         Phone: 645-2881
                                           coffroth@buffalo.edu                            hlasker@buffalo.edu

Office Hours:             Monday 12:00-1:00                 Tues. 11:00-12:00

                                   Thurs. 2:30-3:30                     Thurs. 3:00-4:00

                                    Or by appointment                 Or by appointment

Course Web Page      http:\\www.nsm.buffalo.edu\Bio\Bio511

Textbooks and Readings: There is one required textbook for the course, Marine Community Ecology by Bertness et al. This book has been ordered and should be at the bookstore. Another useful reference text is The Life and Death of Coral Reefs by Charles Birkeland and can be purchased through Amazon.com or Barnes and Nobles if you would like a copy. This text will be place on reserved in SEL. In addition to the textbooks, there will be other readings (usually comprehensive reviews and research papers from the primary literature) that will be assigned in class. Copies of these readings will be on reserve at SEL

Course Requirements and Grading: Attendance at all lectures is required. Required readings from the textbook and/or primary literature (see below) will be assigned for each lecture. There will two exams and a paper written in the form of a research proposal.

Grades will be determined as follows:

                                        Bio 411                 Bio 511

Mid-term Exam                 25%                         20%

Final Exam                         40%                         35%

Class Participation              10%                         10%

Term Paper/Proposal         25%                         35%
 
 

EXAMS: The purpose of the exams is to test the student's mastery of lecture and reading material. There will be two exams, a mid-term and a final during finals week.

TERM PAPER/PROPOSAL: Students in Bio 411 will be required to write a ten page term paper addressing a current problem (i.e. unresolved question) in Tropical Marine Ecology. Students in Bio 511 will be required to develop and write an original research proposal. The guidelines for term paper and proposal development and the format for each are given in the attached hand out and are posted on the course web page. At the end of the handout is a time line for completing the papers. You must meet each of the deadlines listed.

Attendance: Much of the lecture material will go beyond the readings, and thus, regular attendance is mandatory. Attendance will be included in the "participation" portion of your grade. In addition to the attendance, participation in class discussion and demonstration that you have done the required reading will also count toward your participation grade.