BIO 260 Biodiversity and Organization of Marine Ecosystems

The goal of this course is to introduce marine ecosystems and the physical and biological attributes contributing to their organization. The course will focus on the nearshore marine environment of the Southern California Bight, referencing examples from comparable ecosystems. It will introduce basic physical attributes and the organisms of these dynamic ecosystems. Students will learn how to collect data, in both field and laboratory settings, database management, advanced database queries, conduct basic statistical analyses, test hypotheses, produce graphics, and write scientific papers. This course will serve to prepare students for focused upper division courses and independent research. Labs may take longer than the scheduled lab period to accommodate field trips. Includes one three-hour laboratory session per week.