Download I. Marine Biology Then and Now

SUMMIT HIGH SCHOOL
COURSE OF STUDY
MARINE BIOLOGY
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Marine Biology is a semester course designed to broaden student’s understanding of life
science by exploring the earth’s oceans. Students will be introduced to how the world’s
oceans are a vast resource that benefits mankind. They will also comprehend how marine
organisms can cause problems for humans directly or indirectly. The course also
includes how marine environments determine the very nature of our planet. Students will
acquire the knowledge that gives them the understanding to appreciate the sea’s living
resources, to solve the problems marine organisms create, and to predict the effects of
human activities on the life of the sea. In addition, students will develop inquiry and
critical thinking skills that enable them to understand the role marine organisms provide
in clues to the earth’s past, the history of life, and even our own bodies that we must learn
to understand.
Course Objectives
I.
Marine Biology Then and Now
A. Apply scientific method
B. Explore the history of marine biology
C. Examine current technology in marine research
II.
Ocean Geography
A. Explore plate tectonics and the geologic features of the oceans
B. Examine continental margins and features that make them unique
C. Identify and describe deep ocean basins as well as the mid-ocean ridge
D. Relate the physical features of marine environments with the
characteristics of different regions
III.
Chemical and Physical Features of Sea Water
A. Examine the unique nature of water
B. Describe the complex nature of sea water
C. Identify the different types of water movement
D. Compare and contrast the layers of ocean waters
E. Examine surface circulations and major ocean currents
F. Explore the nature and impact of waves and tides
IV.
Fundamentals of Biology
A. Review life processes including photosynthesis and cellular respiration
B. Describe the structure of life
C. Discuss various modes of reproduction
D. Relate evolution and natural selection to adaptations in a marine
environment
V.
Microbs
A. Survey the types of prokaryotes and eukaryotes
B. Relate the importance of photosynthetic protists to the productivity of
ocean life
C. Distinguish how the three types of protozoans gave rise to multicellular
animal life in the oceans
VI.
Marine Autotrophs
A. Describe the various types of multicellular algae
B. Examine flowering plants that exist in a marine environment
VII.
Marine Invertebrates
A. Identify, compare and contrast the different phyla of marine invertebrates
including:
i. Porifera
ii. Cnidarians
iii. Comb Jellies
iv. Bilaterally symmetrical worms
v. Mollusks
vi. Arthropods
vii. Lophophorates
viii. Echinoderms
ix. Hemichordates
x. Tunicates and lancelets
B. Examine the importance these organisms play in the ecosystems of the
oceans
C. Relate the evolution of these animals to their physiology
VIII. Marine Vertebrates
A. Identify, compare and contrast the different phyla of marine fishes
including:
i. Jawless fish
ii. Cartilaginous fish
iii. Bony fish
B. Characterized the physiological features of these fish including:
i. Body shape
ii. Coloration
iii. Circulation
iv. Respiration
v. Behavior
C. Understand the evolutionary adaptations that reptiles have acquired to live
in marine environments
D. Recognize the role different species of birds play in the ocean’s food
chains
E. Identify different types of marine mammals and analyze their special
adaptations for survival
IX.
Marine Ecology
A. Introduce marine ecology with an understanding of the organization of
marine communities, the flow of energy and materials and ecological
zonation of the marine environment.
B. Describe features of various tidal communities including rocky and softbottom communities
C. Explain the types of estuaries, and understand the physical characteristics
of these unique ecosystems
D. Relate the importance of depth to the type of ecosystems found on the
various continental shelves of the world
E. Examine coral reef ecosystems
F. Understand life near the surface in the epipelagic zone
G. Explore the depths of the oceans including the unique features of
hydrothermal vents
X.
Human Impact in Marine Biology
A. Determine the ocean resources humans utilize
B. Describe the impact humans have on marine environments
C. Outline the ways the ocean has molded, affected, or influenced human
cultures.