Marine Ecology Management

Learn to understand and manage marine ecosystems.

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Scope and Nature of Marine Ecology
   • Introduction
   • Different Marine Ecosystems
   • Coral Reefs
   • Types of Coral Reef - fringing reefs, atolls, barrier reefs
   • Purpose of a Coral Reef
   • Rocky Shore
   • Kelp Forest
   • Seagrass meadow
   • Mangrove
   • Estuary
   • Salt Marsh
   • Tundras
   • Open Ocean
   • Deep Ocean
2. Biodiversity of Marine Environments
   • Measuring Biodiversity
   • Why Biodiversity Matters - species richness, genetic diversity
   • Marine Protists and Plant Life
   • Bony Fish
   • Sharks and Rays
   • Whales
   • Microscopic Invertebrates
   • Worms and Worm Like Animals
   • Corals and their Relatives
   • Molluscs and Echinoderms
   • Microbe - bacteria, fungi, marine viruses
   • Microbial Loop
   • Carbon Cycling and Dissolved Organic Carbon
   • Biodiversity in a Reef
   • Food Webs
   • Declining Biodiversity
3. Environmental Factors of Marine Environments
   • Introduction
   • Types of Water - sea, fresh, brackish
   • Oceanography
   • Oceanic circulation
   • Longitudinal Circulation
   • Southern Oscillation (El Nino, La Nina Effect)
   • Ocean Gyres
   • Ocean Zones
   • Pelagic Zone
   • Abiotic Factors - light, temperature, salinity, density, dissolved gases
   • Climate
4. Climate Change & Other Anthropogenic Pressures
   • How humans create Biodiversity Threats
   • Agricultural Runoff (into estuaries)
   • Fresh water Pollutants - sediments, agricultural chemicals, other
   • Salinity Changes
   • Oil Spills
   • Disturbed Food Chains
   • Overfishing
   • Climate Change
   • Ocean Warming and Sea Levels
   • Ocean Acidification
   • Testing pH
   • Coral Bleaching
5. Restoration of Natural Marine Ecosystems
   • Microplastics
   • Ecotoxicology
   • Eutrophication
   • Erosion
   • Flood Prevention
   • Restoring Coral Reefs
   • Coral Reef Threats- agricultural runoff, seaweed/kelp, sand, sunscreen, climate change, predators.
   • Restoration through Coral Transplantation
   • Restoration through Micro fragmentation
   • Coral Nurseries
   • Planting out Corals and Substrates
   • Regeneration using Natural Reed Beds to Purify Waste Water
6. Managing Threatened Species (Practical and Regulatory Approaches)
   • Introduction to Invasive Species
   • Managing Invasive Species
   • Population Surveys and Monitoring
   • Census of Marine Life
   • Managing a Threatened Species via Conservation Practices
   • Conservation of Threatened Species
   • Where to Start
   • Conservation of Habitat
   • Ecological Gap Analysis
   • Reference Sites
   • Breeding Programs
   • Keystone Species
   • Predators
   • Ecosystem Engineers
   • Mutualists
   • Intervention Types - Regulation
   • Case Study
7. Managing Fisheries in Marine Ecosystems
   • Introduction
   • Case Study - Overfishing Orange Roughy
   • Stock Identity
   • Stock Assessment
   • Stock Biomass
   • Stock Management Methods
   • General Techniques for Managing Fisheries - habitat restoration/closure, seasonal closure, closed waters, protected Statius, Limits, Catch Quotas, Fishing methods. Licences/Permits, Education Programs, Aquaculture
   • Responding to human Food Needs
   • Aquaculture/ Mariculture
   • Extensive Production Mariculture
   • Intensive Production Mariculture
   • Classification of Systems
   • Disease Management for Fisheries
8. Marine Resources and Sustainability
   • What is a Marine Protected Area
   • How are MPA's Used
   • The AICHI Biodiversity Targets
   • Marine Protected Area Agency Partnership
   • International Guidelines for Designating and Managing MPA's
   • Designating an MPA
   • Field Work
   • Analysis of Existing Resources
   • Conservation and Monitoring of MPAs
   • Working Outside Marine Protected Areas
   • Sustainable Development
   • Preserving Environments
   • Pollution Prevention
9. Technology
   • Introduction
   • Platforms in Oceanography
   • Ocean Robots and ROV's
   • Satellites
   • Biodiversity
   • Other Devices
   • Digital Photography
   • High Tech Tagging
   • Biotech - DNA Barcoding and Phylogenetic Analysis
   • Microarray
   • SNP array
   • Removal of Ocean Debris and Human Waste
   • Broad Considerations in Marine Research
10. Data in Marine Management
    • Introduction
    • Ethics in Data
    • Principles of Measurement
    • Variables
    • Measurement Scales
    • Measurement Error
    • Bias and Consistency
    • Making Observations
    • Developing skills in observation
    • Samples and Sampling
    • Choosing a basic method of sampling
    • Using Statistics to Analyse Probability
    • Probability Parameters
    • P-Values
    • Statistics show Relationship
    • Knowing what to Ask about Data - Question types

Aims

• Discuss marine environments and ecology in broad and general terms.
• Describe biodiversity and interrelationships in different marine environments.
• Determine the significance of, and interplay between, environmental factors in marine environments.
• Explain the impact of climate change and other anthropogenic pressures, and measures needed to mitigate these impacts.
• Determine ways of restoring damaged marine environments
• Explain the management of threatened marine species.
• Describe how marine experts work to manage and maintain ecological homeostasis.
• Describe marine resources and explain how sustainability initiatives are implemented.
• Apply different technologies for improved management of marine environments.
• Explain issues of data management and develop critical knowledge of how digitalisation is integrated into marine management.