Introduction to
Zooplankton Ecology
Instructor: Dr. Juanita Urban-Rich
Phone (617) 287-7485
Fax (617) 287-7474
e-mail: juanita.urban-rich@umb.edu
Office: Science 1-056, 77485
Course Description: Zooplankton can be called the cows of the sea. These animals
range in size from 20 µm to >1 mm and are the food supply for many commercially
important fish, whales and other larger animals. This course will examine the different
classes and functional groups of zooplankton with an emphasis on copepods and pelagic
tunicates. Zooplankton morphology, physiology and ecology will be discussed in detail
and related to larger environmental issues, e.g. global warming, eutrophication. There
will be 1-2 field trips and/or laboratory classes to learn current zooplankton methods.
Course Goals: Zooplankton are vital to the health and well being of marine ecosystems,
thus the aim of the course will be to introduce students to the different zooplankton
classes and the methods used in studying zooplankton ecology. We will examine the
different functional roles within crustacean and gelatinous zooplankton relative to their
geographical distributions. We will study the different grazing, energy storage and
reproductive strategies employed by the various zooplankton groups. In addition we will
discuss the ecological significance of zooplankton relative to human health, economics
and global carbon cycling.
Course Format: The first 2/3 of the course will involve lectures and class discussions of
relevant papers. Students will be expected to participate in the class discussions each
week. One or two field/lab trips will be planned to collect and examine different
zooplankton. The remaining portion of the course will consist of seminars that are lead
by the students and class discussions on the connections between zooplankton and larger
environmental issues and student research.
Student Background: EEOS 267L or BIOL 290 or permission of the instructor.
Student Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on two projects (20% each), a midterm
exam (20%), in-class presentation and final paper (20%) and class participation (20%).
Textbooks: There is no required textbook but relevant literature articles will be assigned
each week along with chapters from the books, The Biology of Calanoid Copepods and
The Biology of Pelagic Tunicates.
Course Outline
Part I: Biology of Zooplankton
Jan 27: Class Schedule & Objectives
Introduction to Zooplankton Ecology
Jan 29 & 31: Zooplankton Biodiversity & Life Cycles
Feb 3: Meroplankton Biodiversity
Feb 5 & 7: Meroplankton Function
Feb 10: Holoplankton
Feb 12 & 14: Holoplankton Function
Feb 17 & 19: No Class – Library Research
Feb 21: Grazing
Feb 24: Digestion
**Project 1 Due
Feb 26 & 28: Physiology
March 3: Chemical Composition
March 5 & 7: Growth & Reproduction
March 10: Make- Up and Review,
March 12: Midterm Exam
Part II: Distribution of zooplankton (biology & physics)
March 24: Seasonal Distribution of Zooplankton
March 26 & 28: Latitudinal Distributions
March 31: Coastal / Estuarine Distributions
April 2 & 4: Physics & Biological Couplings
April 7: Physics & Biological Couplings
April 9: Research Topic
Schedule subject to change below
April 14: Data Analysis
April 16: Data Analysis
April 18: Sampling Methods
April 21: Field Collections
**Project 2 Due
Part III: Zooplankton and Humans
April 28: Zooplankton Climate Change
April 30: Zooplankton V. cholera
May 2, 5 and 7: Student Seminars
Weeks 12-13: Research Reports
SEMINARS
Student talks are suppose to be broad overviews and should show an understanding of a
specific and predetermined zooplankton physiological process (i.e. grazing, reproduction,
migration, etc) and a logical and scientifically justified supposition of how a chosen
environmental issue (e.g. global warming, eutrophication, pollution, etc) might affect the
physiological process OR they may deal with human health issues and zooplankton.
-Every group has 30min: talk should be 15-20 minutes, 15-20 for questions.
-Talks are about a physiological process in zooplankton and the effect of an
environmental “issue” on the process
-Talks should give a background on the physiological process and issue and how
they might interact (positive or negative)
Undergraduate students will work in groups for their seminar while graduate students will
lead the seminar by themselves.
RESEARCH REPORT: FINAL PAPER
Undergraduate & Graduate students will present their research as either a poster or power
point presentation, showing their objective, methods, results and a discussion of their
findings.
Graduate students will write a paper on the research conducted by the student on
zooplankton. This final paper should give specific details and be an in depth discussion
that reflects the students ability to synthesize their data. It must contain original ideas and
not be a reflection of cited references. The paper should be 15 page maximum plus
references and be double spaced with 12-point font.
Accommodations
Section 504 of the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 offers guidelines for
curriculum modifications and adaptations for students with documented disabilities. If
applicable, students may obtain adaptation recommendations form the Ross Center for
Disability Services, M-1-401, (617.287.7430). The student must present these
recommendations and discuss them with each professor within a reasonable period
preferably by the end of Drop/Add period.
Student Conduct
Students are required to adhere to the University Policy on Academic Standard and
Cheating, to the University Statement on Plagiarism and the Documentation of Written
Work, and to the Code of Student Conduct as delineated in the catalog of Undergraduate
Programs, pp. 44-45, and 48-52. The Code is available online at:
http://www.umb.edu/student_services/student_rights/code_conduct.html