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Center for Curriculum and Transfer Articulation
Marine Biology
Course: BIO145

First Term: 2018 Fall
 Lecture   4.0 Credit(s)   3.0 Period(s)   3.0 Load  
Subject Type: Academic
Load Formula: T - Lab Load


Description: A survey of marine environments and their biotic communities with emphasis on the natural history of marine organisms.



MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Describe how scientists study the oceans. (I)
2. Compare and contrast the geological, physical, and chemical aspects of the ocean environment. (II)
3. Distinguish between types of geological features in the ocean environment. (II)
4. Relate the mode of action of tides, waves, and currents to the effects they have on topographical features. (II)
5. List the properties of seawater and explain how seawater is a complex solution. (II)
6. Describe the relationships between the biotic and abiotic portions of selected marine environments. (III)
7. Distinguish between conformers, regulators, and selectors by their means of surviving environmental extremes. (III)
8. Describe what happens to marine organisms when abiotic factors in their environment fluctuate. (III)
9. Relate the distribution of a marine species to its range of toleration and the presence of abiotic gradients in the world`s oceans. (III)
10. Compare and contrast the various methods used by marine organisms to acquire food. (III)
11. Identify the ways in which a particular marine organism defends itself against predators. (III)
12. Explain the fundamental differences between asexual and sexual reproduction and how each is suited to particular environment conditions. (III)
13. Describe examples of competition and coexistence in the ocean. (III)
14. Compare and contrast the three types of symbiotic relationships. (III)
15. Distinguish between colonies and individuals and describe the advantages of each of these modes of life. (III)
16. Apply unifying theories of biology to classify organisms. (IV)
17. Produce phylogenetic trees and taxonomic keys for groups of selected marine organisms. (IV)
18. Identify the general types of microscopic marine organisms. (IV)
19. Categorize the major groups of marine plants using biochemical, structural, and ecological criteria. (IV)
20. Distinguish between examples of the major invertebrate groups. (IV)
21. Relate the structure of marine fish to their ability to live in their environment. (IV)
22. Describe the life cycle of the sea turtle. (IV)
23. Compare and contrast the ways of life of major types of marine birds. (IV)
24. Explain how marine mammals are re-adapted to life in the ocean. (IV)
25. Contrast the adaptations of toothed and baleen whales. (IV)
26. Describe how organisms interact with their environments as individuals, populations, and species. (V)
27. Identify adaptations of marine organisms and describe how they promote the success of the organisms. (V)
28. Analyze the structure of a marine community utilizing data collected by modern methods.(V)
29. Draw a food web diagram for marine community. (V)
30. Predict the outcome of ecological succession in a marine community. (V)
31. Identify the processes which occur in successful ecological systems. (V)
32. Compare and contrast pelagic and benthic environments. (V)
33. Identify the special problems met by marine organisms in a variety of marine ecosystems. (V)
34. Describe the biotic and abiotic portions of several important marine ecosystems. (V)
35. Explain how humans are having an effect upon marine environments. (V)
36. Describe how humans presently utilize the oceans and their plans for future use. (V)
37. Explain how new international agreements are regulating the use of the ocean in ways that are beneficial to all. (V)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.
 
MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Introduction to marine biology
   A. Scope
   B. History
   C. Methods of study
   D. Current research
II. Ocean environment
   A. Geology of the oceans
      1. World ocean basins
      2. Underwater topography
      3. Plate tectonics
      4. Shoreline features
   B. Physics
      1. Waves
      2. Tides
      3. Currents
      4. Effects on shoreline features
   C. Chemistry of the oceans
      1. Properties of water
      2. Solutions
      3. Seawater
III. Challenges of the sea
   A. Abiotic challenges
      1. Struggle for survival
         a. Organisms which conform to the environment
         b. Organisms which regulate their internal environment
         c. Organisms which select their environment
      2. Effects of abiotic factors on marine life
         a. Temperature
         b. Salinity
         c. Pressure
         d. Dissolved oxygen
      3. Distribution of marine life in relation to abiotic factors
         a. Range of toleration
         b. Abiotic gradients and global distributions
   B. Biotic challenges
      1. Eat or be eaten
         a. Ways of acquiring food
         b. Defending against predators
      2. Reproducing with or without sex
         a. Asexual reproduction
         b. Sexual reproduction
         c. Hermaphroditism
      3. Competing against others
         a. Limited resources
         b. Intraspecific and interspecific competition
         c. Avoiding competition
      4. Living with others
         a. Symbiosis
         b. Colonialism
IV. Survey of marine life
   A. Unity of life
      1. Levels of organization
      2. Origin of life
      3. Evolution
      4. Adaptation
      5. Structure and function
      6. Classification and phylogeny
   B. Simple microscopic organisms
      1. Monera
         a. Bacteria
         b. Cyanobacteria
      2. Protista
         a. Protozoa
      2. Diatoms
      3. Dinoflagellates
   C. Marine plants
      1. Seaweeds
         a. Greens
         b. Reds
         c. Browns
      2. Flowering plants
         a. Grasses
         b. Succulents
         c. Shrubs
         d. Trees
   D. Marine animals
      1. Invertebrates
a. Sponges
         b. Radiata
         c. Bilateria
         d. Echinoderms
         e. Protochordates
      2. Vertebrates
         a. Fish
      1. Sharks and rays
      2. Bony fish
         b. Reptiles
      1. Turtles
      2. Sea snakes
         c. Birds
      1. Diving and wading birds
      2. Soaring birds
      3. Swimming and flightless birds
         d. Mammals
      1. Sea lions and seals
      2. Dolphins and toothed whales
      3. Baleen whales
V. Marine ecology
   A. Concepts in ecology
      1. Population biology
      2. Distribution of organisms
      3. Habitats and niches
      4. Community structure
      5. Food webs
      6. Succession
      7. Biogeography
      8. Ecosystem analysis
      9. Trophic structure
      10. Energy and nutrient cycling
   B. Marine environments
      1. Pelagic
      2. Benthic
   C. Marine ecosystems
      1. Estuaries
      2. Tidal flats
      3. Sandy shores
      4. Rocky shores
      5. Coral reefs
      6. Deep ocean bottoms
   D. Human influences on marine environments
      1. Fishing
      2. Pollution
      3. Coastal development
   E. Humans and the sea
      1. Mariculture
      2. Marine pharmaceuticals
      3. Ocean mining
      4. Energy from the ocean
      5. Ocean exploration
      6. Law in the sea
 
MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: 6/25/2002

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.