Tentative schedule for Taxonomy and Biology of Ascidians, August 13-27.
The class will include laboratory experiments and short field projects, and students will
present a short talk on their individual projects at the end of the class.
Sunday Aug. 13.
Introductions.
Afternoon field trip to collect.
Examination of living ascidians in the lab.
Day 1 (Monday Aug. 14)
Lecture - What is a an ascidian? Taxonomic hierarchy, criteria for species designation.
Very brief introduction to the 3 orders Aplousobranchia, Phlebobranchia and
Stolidobranchia, with emphasis on Phlebobranch families: Ascidiidae, Corellidae,
Cionidae, Perophoridae.
Field collection and examination of living ascidians in the lab. Relaxation and
preservation of specimens for later dissection.
Day 2
Lecture-Tunic/body wall and branchial sac characteristics in taxonomy. Stolidobranchs
Styelidae, Pyuridae and Molgulidae.
Lab- first dissection of simple ascidians.
Day 3
Lecture-Aplousobranch families (Polyclinidae, Polycitoridae, Holozoidae, Clavelinidae,
Didemnidae etc.).
Field collection; dissection and identification.
Day 4
Lecture- Development, larval structure and reproduction.
Lab- dissection and identification.
Day 5
Lecture-continuation of Development, larval structure and reproduction. Brooding
structures and types of budding.
Lab- dissection and identification.
Day 6
Lecture-Feeding and digestion.
Lab-dissection and identification.
Day 7
Lecture-Larval and adult ecology; self-nonself recognition.
Continue lab identification of local species.
Day 8
Lecture- Symbionts, predation, natural product chemistry.
Continue lab identification of local species.
Day 9
Lecture- Blood, osmoregulation, excretion.
Field work - recovering of experimental plates; plate observation and data analysis
Day 10
Lecture- Ascidian bioinvasions-Analysis and impacts.
Lab-Individual projects.
Day 11
Lecture- Biogeography and abyssal species.
Lab-Individual projects.
Day 12
Lecture- Phylogeny.
Lab-Individual projects.
Days 13-14
Presentation of projects; lab clean-up