BIOSM 1650

Marine Vertebrates of the Gulf of Maine

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2024-2025 Catalog.

This course will introduce students to the biology and conservation of marine vertebrates of the Gulf of Maine based on field observations, fishing, dissection, study of skeletons, and first-hand reports from fishermen, ornithologists, and mammalogists. Open-water cruises will give students the opportunity to observe fish, whale, seal and bird behavior. Lecture and lab material is organized phylogenetically: instruction begins with a consideration of early vertebrates, hagfishes and lampreys; continues with the study of cartilaginous and bony fishes; migratory sea turtles, sea- and shorebirds; and ends with an overview of marine mammals, seals and whales.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: two year-long high school courses in science, and completion of grades 10, 11, or 12.

Permission Note Primarily for: high school students.

Last 4 terms offered (None)

Outcomes

• Describe the evolutionary relationships among the marine vertebrates, including morphological similarities due to common ancestry.
• Describe specific adaptations to the marine environment among different groups of vertebrates.
• Identify common species of marine vertebrates in the Gulf of Maine and describe basic information about their natural history and behavior.
• Address current conservation issues and management efforts for marine vertebrate species.

When Offered Summer.

Comments Students will live at Shoals Marine Lab, Appledore Island, Gulf of Maine, during this course.

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