Marine Environmental Physiology - Biology 345 Spring 2011

Instructors: Dr. Brad Wetherbee

Phone: 874-2335

Email: wetherbee@uri.edu

Office: Woodward 024

Office Hours: MWF 11-12

Lecture: MW 1:00-1:50 CBLS 452

Laboratory: CBLS 320

Text: There is no text for the course but reading of scientific journal articles will supplement lecture material.

Course Description:

The subject of this course is the functioning of organisms in the marine environment. The main approach of this course will be to investigate physiological attributes of organisms that are under constraints imposed by the marine environment. First we will review the marine environment and physiological processes that occur in a variety of organisms in various settings within the marine environments. We will focus on adaptations of organisms that promote survival and reproduction and that ultimately influence the distribution of the organisms. We will survey several systems within organisms that are of the utmost concern for survival of marine organisms. We will also discuss several harsh, or extreme marine environments and the related physiology of some of the organisms that live there.

Instruction:

The primary means of communicating information for this course is lectures and scientific journal articles on each subject discussed in class. The majority of lecture notes and all of the journal articles presented in class will be available on the course website. There will be several lectures on each major subject, with additional, more specific information provided in journal articles. Study guides and practice exams will be provided to reinforce major points covered in the course and to prepare for exams.

http://www.uri.edu/cels/bio/wetherbee/bio345/bio345.htm

Journal Articles (80 points):

There are few textbooks on environmental physiology and even fewer that focus just on the marine environment. Therefore, we will assemble our own “textbook” from research articles published in scientific journals. To take advantage of the resources in the course, each student will be responsible for finding one journal article that relates to a topic discussed in class. They will provide a copy of the article in electronic format (a pdf) to Dr. Wetherbee for posting on the course website and making the article available for all students in the class prior to the day of their presentation. You do not need my approval for the paper that you choose to present, but the quality of your choice will be reflected in the evaluations that you receive.

Every other Wednesday students will make a brief presentation (5-10 minutes) to the class on the paper that they chose, highlighting the main points and relating the paper to the general topic covered in the lectures. You are welcome to and encouraged to use a Power Point Presentation. Each student will “grade” the student presentations by filling out an evaluation sheet and assigning points based on the quality of both the presentation and the paper. A sign-up sheet for presentation dates will be distributed during the first few lectures until all students have signed up for a presentation date and have an idea of the topic for their journal article.

Since there is no textbook for this course students are expected to read the journal articles presented in class by each student, to take notes on the presentation and expect exam questions from the readings and presentations. Each evaluation turned in during the class meeting when the presentation was given will be worth 2 points for a maximum of 60 points if you hand in evaluations for 30 of your fellow students (2 x 30 = 60). Therefore, it is important to be in class on the days when the student presentations are given. Your own presentation is worth 20 points (based on the average scores received from your fellow students) for a total of 80 points for in-class journal article exercises.

Global Change Lecture Series (20 points):

Each student is required to attend one of the seminars in the Veltsen Lecture Series being presented at URI this semester on “The State of Our Oceans”. A one page (typed, double spaced) summary/opinion paper should be submitted to your lab TA based on the lecture that you attended. The reports are due by the final day of lab. Five points will be taken off for each day late. The lecture schedule can be found at www.uri.edu/vetlesen

Laboratory (100 points):

The second major form of instruction will be the laboratory. Students will complete laboratories exercises that enable them to see physiological processes actually in progress and to provide an opportunity to manipulate environmental parameters and observe responses of marine animals. The labs will also introduce fundamental techniques used to study marine environmental physiology. The majority of labs reinforce lecture concepts, but some labs will introduce topics not covered in detail in the lectures. Laboratory handouts will be provided for each laboratory and the exercises will be explained and supervised by the TA. The TA for the laboratories is Al Nyack – alnyack@gmail.com.

Paper (50 points):

Each student will be required to write a short paper (approximately 5 double-spaced pages) on a topic of their choice. The ideal paper will include the following:

1. A specific marine organism

2. A description of the physical features of the habitat in which this organism lives.

3. A major physiological challenge for survival faced by this organism in this environment.

4. A description of how that organism overcomes this challenge through physiological means.

5. The paper must focus on the physiology of the organism in its particular environment.

Students should conduct library research using articles published in scientific journals to obtain information used for the paper and these articles should be thoroughly cited in a bibliography. Information from websites should not be used. Topics for the papers should be approved by Dr. Wetherbee before spring break (March 21), and the papers are due by the last day of class (May 2). Five points will be deducted from the paper grade for each day the paper is late.

Exams (200 points):

The material on exams for this course will primarily come from information presented in lecture and in journal articles. Students are strongly urged to regularly review the lecture notes and notes on journal articles prior to the exams. Exams will be a combination of multiple choice, definitions and short answer/essay questions. The final exam will NOT be comprehensive, but will cover material discussed during the final section of the course. Students that have an approved university excuse for missing an exam should let me know ahead of time and make arrangements to take a make up exam. Makeup exams will be entirely essay format. The final exam is May12^th at 7 pm, please make travel plans accordingly and plan on taking the final exam on that date.

Grading:

Students will be evaluated on the basis of three mid-semester exams, the final exam, a paper, in-class assignments, the lecture series report and the laboratory. After each exam the cumulative point totals will be posted on the course website so that students are aware of how they are doing in the course. If you are having trouble in the course, see the instructor, TA, a fellow student or visit The Academic Enhancement Center in Roosevelt Hall as soon as possible. Letter grades will be assigned based on the point totals below.

Three mid-semester exams 150 412-450 A

Final exam 50 405-411 A-

Paper 50 396-404 B+

In class presentations 80 369-395 B

State of the Oceans lecture 20 360-368 B-

Laboratory 100 351-359 C+

Total 450 324-350 C

315-323 C-

Getting or giving help during an exam, 306-314 D+

plagiarism and copying from your fellow 279-305 D

students are not allowed in this course. <279 F

Cheating will be dealt with according to

the university regulations.

Lecture	Bio 345 Lecture Schedule		Spring 2011
	Date	Topic
1	M - Jan 24	Introduction
2	W - Jan 26	Adaptations
3	M - Jan 31	The Marine Environment
4	W - Feb 2	Size and Scaling
5	M - Feb 7	Ions and Water
6	W - Feb 9	Ion and Water	Student Presentations (1,2,3)
	M - Feb 14	EXAM I	Lectures 1-6
7	W - Feb 16	Temperature I	Student Presentations (4,5,6)
	M - Feb 21	No Class – President’s Day
8	W - Feb 23	Temperature II	Student Presentations (7,8,9)
9	M - Feb 28	Heat Shock Proteins
10	W - Mar 2	Gas Exchange	Student Presentations (10,11,12)
11	M - Mar 7	Gas Exchange
12	W - Mar 9	Oxygen Challenges	Student Presentations (13, 14,15)
	M - Mar 14	EXAM II	Lectures 7-12
13	W - Mar 16	Food and Feeding	Student Presentations (16,17,18)
	21-25	Spring Break
14	M - Mar 28	Buoyancy and Locomotion
15	W - Mar 30	Buoyancy and Locomotion	Student Presentations (19,20,21)
16	M - Apr 4	Sensory Biology
17	W - Apr 6	Sensory Biology	Student Presentations (22,23,24)
	M - Apr 11	EXAM III	Lectures 13-17
18	W - Apr 13	Diving Vertebrates	Student Presentations (25,26,27)
19	M - Apr 18	Deep Sea I
20	W - Apr 20	Deep Sea II	Student Presentations (28,29,30)
21	M - Apr 25	Shoreline Challenges
22	W - Apr 27	Estuarine Challenges	Student Presentations (31,32,33)
23	M - May 2	Anthropogenic Challenges
	May 12	FINAL EXAM 7-10 pm	Lectures 18-23