MB5400:03
Coral Biology
Townsville
Prerequisites: Consult HOS
Inadmissable Subject Combination: MB3210
24 lectures, 36 hours practicals, 16 hours field work. First semester. Students will be required to attend lectures and practical classes in MB3210.
Available to students specialising in Marine Ecology and Fisheries Biology in the Graduate Diploma and Master of Applied Science courses.
Staff: Dr B Willis.
An introduction to the biology of corals and processes involved in building and maintaining reefs. An overview of the life histories of sessile, modular organisms, incorporating current research findings e.g. with respect to sexual/asexual reproduction, larval dispersal, recruitment, growth, lifespan and population genetics. A treatment of the functional morphology of corals as an example of a modular organism. An introduction to the taxonomy of reef-building corals.
Learning Objectives:
- gain knowledge of the anatomical features and physiological specialisations of corals that are keys to understanding how corals build reefs;
- understand life history theory of modular organisms using reef corals as a model;
- gain a working knowledge of the identification and classification of the major families and genera of reef-building corals;
- develop skills required for independent research through lab and field exercises involving literature reviews, data collection, data analyses and critical interpretation;
- gain awareness of issues underlying long-term conservation and management of reef corals.
Assessment by six laboratory reports (35%); an independent project report and seminar (25%); a three-hour examination (40%).
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