Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE BIO1200

 
TITLE Topics in Marine Biology

 
UM LEVEL 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 2

 
DEPARTMENT Biology

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit is a follow-up to BIO1100 and provides participants with concepts of marine biology and the Mediterranean marine environment at a higher level. The topics covered include:

- Physical and biological aspects of the marine environment: physico-chemical and biological characteristics of the water column and seabed, and pelagic and benthic habitats and ecosystems;
- Topics in Mediterranean marine biology: main physico-chemical and biological characteristics of the Mediterranean marine environment;
- Marine vegetation: main characteristics of marine algae and plants, their diversity and ecological roles;
- Human influence on the marine environment: release of materials and energy which may compromise the life-support systems of the marine environment (pollution), and other factors such as exploitation and mismanagement of marine resources and of biodiversity;
- Aquaculture: EU aquaculture Policy, aquaculture in Malta, environmental parameters affecting aquaculture production, and management aspects of aquaculture production;
- Fisheries biology: historical evolution of fisheries (gears, target species, fishing effort), introduction to fisheries science (why manage fisheries, patterns of exploitation), the stock concept, methods of stock identification, principles of stock dynamics (growth, reproduction, recruitment, mortality migration), environmental impacts of fisheries, by-catch & discards, and fisheries management and conservation options;
- Topics in marine conservation biology; including in-situ and ex-situ conservation research strategies applied to marine species and habitats conservation management in the Mediterranean and the Maltese islands.

This study-unit is open to University students other than those reading biology for a bachelor’s degree and to non-university participants who demonstrate that they can benefit from the study-unit and who will be registered as auditors.

Study-unit Aims:

This study-unit is mainly aimed at providing participants with knowledge of aspects of:
- The marine environment, in terms of physico-chemical and biological features of marine ecosystems;
- Main physical and biological characteristics of the Mediterranean Sea;
- Basic aspects of marine vegetation diversity and ecology;
- Human influence on the marine environment;
- Aquaculture;
- Fisheries biology;
- Marine conservation biology.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Appreciate the complexity of marine ecosystems;
- Appreciate and identify the diversity and ecological roles of Mediterranean marine flora and fauna;
- Appreciate and identify aspects of Mediterranean marine habitats;
- Acknowledge the various interactions between humans and the marine environment, and the implications of direct and indirect anthropogenic influences;
- Appreciate and identify the main principles underlying aquaculture and its contributions and benefits to society, as well as interaction with the environment;
- Appreciate and identify the main principles underlying fisheries and their contributions and benefits to society, and how they are managed;
- Acknowledge and identify measures used to apply principles of conservation biology to environmental management and protection;
- Contribute to the design of basic marine biological surveys and undertake basic field studies and laboratory work to collect, process and interpret marine biological data;
- Use taxonomic keys and laboratory tools for the identification of species;
- Communicate scientific information in the form of scientific reports.

2. Skills
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Apply knowledge of marine ecosystems to understand the links between living and non-living components of the marine environment, and between marine and terrestrial ecosystems;
- Distinguish the roles of Mediterranean flora and fauna in the marine ecosystem;
- Apply knowledge of anthropogenic influences on the marine environment to understand their short and long term implications for marine natural resources;
- Apply knowledge of aquaculture and fisheries to understand the importance of these activities for society, their influence on the marine environment, and how they may be affected by natural and anthropogenic factors;
- Apply knowledge of marine conservation biology to understand the importance and use of environmental management and protection, and legislative tools;
- Use guides and keys to identify marine species;
- Apply knowledge to undertake basic field studies and laboratory work;
- Apply knowledge to collect, process and interpret basic marine biological data;
- Use taxonomic keys and laboratory tools for the identification of species;
- Communicate information on aspects of marine biology.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

- Castro, P., & Huber, M.E. (2024). Marine biology (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
- Falzon, M.A., & Schembri, P.J. (2021). Fishes and Other Marine Animals of the Maltese Islands (1st ed. ). BDL Books.
- Mojetta, A. (1996). Mediterranean Sea: guide to the underwater life (1st ed.). Swan Hill Press.

Supplementary reading:

- Hilborn, R., & Hilborn U. (2012). Overfishing: What everyone needs to know (1st ed.). Oxford University Press.
- Jennings, S., Kaiser, M.J., & Reynolds, J.D (2001). Marine Fisheries Ecology. Blackwell Science.
- King, M. (2007). Fisheries Biology, Assessment and Management (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
- Lucas, J.S., Southgate, P.C., & (2018) Aquaculture: Farming Aquatic Animals and Plants (3rd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
- Morrissey, J.F., & Sumich, J.L. (2018). Biology of marine life (11th ed.). Jones & Bartlett.
- Norse, E., & Crowder, L.B. (2005) Marine Conservation Biology: the science of maintaining the sea's biodiversity (1st ed.). Island Press.
- Pillay, T.V.R., & Kutty, M.N. (2005). Aquaculture: Principles and Practice (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
- Riedl, R. (2010). Fauna e flora del Mediterraneo (1st ed.). Franco Muzzio Editore [In Italian].
- Trianito, E., & Baldacconi, R. (2021). Atlante di flora e fauna del Mediterraneo. Guida alla biodiversità degli ambienti marini (6th ed.) Il Castello Editore [in Italian].

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES Pre-requisite: BIO1100 or Biology at Intermediate Level.

This study-unit is not offered to students registered with the Biology Department.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture, Fieldwork and Independent Study

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Report SEM2 Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Joseph A. Borg
Simeon Deguara
Sandro Lanfranco
Patrick J. Schembri
Noel Vella

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

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