Aims

Participation to Marine biology Laboratory (Biol 1200) will offer to the students the opportunity to gain knowledges and skills on 1) organizational aspects of field trips according to meteorological circumstances; 2) observations and collecting methods on the shore at low tide (the intertidal zone); 3) specific determinations of collected organisms using fauna&flora handbooks (using dichotomist keys); 4) observation of the zonation and the physiological adaptations to intertidal environment; 5) estimation of biodiversity in the different biotopes; 6) redaction of report and oral presentation.

Main themes

Students will participate to one of the field trips at the Marine Biology laboratory of catholic Universities of Lille (France) and Louvain (Belgium) organized between April and September (according to tide and holidays). Aim of this course is a first contact to field observations in Biology and determinations of freshly collected biological materials. This course is a necessary complement to theoretical knowledge in invertebrate zoology; it represents also an introduction to advanced courses in marine biology. Most of the major invertebrates phyla can be found in the different biota on the shore zone. Work is planned taking into account low tides periods; other field observations (dunes and cliff ecology) as well as lab works are organized in between these periods. At low tides, students will perform systematic observations of different populations as a function of various biotic and abiotic parameters and collect of biological samples to be determined at the specific level in the lab (systematic determinations, anatomy or physiology studies…).

Content and teaching methods

This field trip represents a first approach of marine biology. Theoretical knowledge in the course notes will help the students to prepare this 5 days field course. This course is base on practical and personal observations. Access to specific literature in marine biology will allow completing the field observations. Students will make final reports using binoculars, microscope and marine handbooks.

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