MI5003:03
Advanced Marine Microbiology
Townsville
Prerequisites: Unspecified biology subject
Inadmissable Subject Combination: MI2031
26 lectures, 11 tutorials, 72 hours practicals. First semester.
Staff: Dr L Owens.
The ecological role of microbes in the marine and estuarine environments is outlined and the role of microbes in nutrient cycles is discussed including chemotropism, symbiosis, fouling, degradation of pollutants and maricultural ecology. The specific contributions of bacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, viruses and picoplankton in the marine environment are discussed and an introduction to disease-causing microbes is given.
Learning Objectives:
- understand the importance of marine microbes to the biosphere and how they impact on human activities;
- manipulate microbes in the laboratory and establish causal relationships with selected disease conditions;
- describe the culture methods for the major ecological groups of marine bacteria.
Assessment by laboratory assignments (30%); theory examination (60%); written and research assignment (10%).
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