Duration
20h Th, 10h Pr
Number of credits
| Master in biology of organisms and ecology (120 ECTS) | 3 crédits | |||
| Master in oceanography (120 ECTS) | 3 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Organisms grouped under the informal term "marine invertebrates" represent 85% of marine animal biodiversity in terms of described species, and almost 70% of animal biomass found in marine ecosystems. Through their tremendous diversity in body plan organisation, they successfully colonized all marine habitats from the shoreline to the deepest trenches, and are critical to many structural and functional aspects of marine biology.
This course's aim is to place invertebrates in the wider context of marine ecosystem functioning, with emphasis on benthic systems. Using an integrative approach, it will highlight how diversity in body plan and form, in ecological habits and behaviors, or in resilience towards environmental change can condition the role of invertebrates in marine ecosystems, and ultimately in associated services for human societies. It will also explore how key-biological traits drive diversification in the most widespread invertebrate taxa.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
After taking this class, you'll be able to
- Identify key biological traits allowing to classify marine invertebrates into higher taxa (e.g. phyla);
- Understand how diversity in body plan condition not only how these organisms function, but also how they can interact with other organisms in marine ecosystems;
- Understand how biological innovations (morphological, ecological, physiological or other) can drive animal diversification;
- Understand how marine invertebrate taxa are connected through the tree of life, and how these relationships reflect their evolutionary history;
- Develop awareness of the critical importance of invertebrates for the functioning of many marine systems, and for the ecosystem services they support.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
This course will be given in English, and a sufficient knowledge of this language is therefore mandatory. Students to this course should also possess elementary knowledge (e.g. introductive bachelor courses) of zoology, including animal anatomy, physiology, biodiversity and ecology, as well as evolutionary biology.
Students from ULiège's "Biology of organisms and ecology" master interested in taking this course should contact the teacher first to discuss potential overlap with other courses from their curriculum.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The theoretical part will consist in ex cathedra lectures, complemented as often as possible by other media or material (video, numerical resources, etc.).
The practical part will be a supervised group project. This project's topic should be linke with marine invertebrate zoology. This topic will ideally be proposed by the student, either because they are particularly interested in it, or because it is linked with their master thesis, and should be validated by the teacher. The evaluation procedure for this work is detailed below.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Additional information:
In order to maximize and facilitate interactions between students and teachers, all sections of the course will be organized in person as long as it remains possible. If required by the circumstances (e.g. sanitary situation), some parts will be taught remotely. In this case, recordings will be shared with the students, and specific time slots will be dedicated to discussion.
Recommended or required readings
All the material used during classes (presentations and complements) will be made available to students after each session, through the eCampus platform.
Although it is by no means necessary, students willing to complement information presented during the course or to begin their learning on their own can refer to:
- Ruppert EE, Fox RS, Barnes RD. Invertebrate Zoology, 7th edition. Thomson Brooks Cole, 2004.
- Brusca R C., Giribet G. & Moore W. Invertebrates, 4th edition. Oxford University Press, 2022.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Other : Oral presentation
Additional information:
Assessment will be twofold.
The theoretical part will be evaluated through an oral exam.
The practical part assessment will consist in a personal oral presentation (see above), as well as questions linked with this presentation. The duration of this talk will not exceed 10 minutes. The quality of this work will be assessed through an evaluation grid which will, for transparency's sake, be communicated to students beforehand. This grid will include criteria about the content (well-defined theoretical context, mastering of used concepts, use of adequate sources) as well as the form (terminology used, language and presentation clarity, respect of length instructions, adequate presentation support) of the work.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Course schedule and rooms: see Celcat.
Improvements to the course are made yearly according to new developments on relevant topics and to formal and informal feedback from the students.
Contacts
Course responsible:
Loïc MICHEL
Animal Systematics and Diversity
Institute of Chemistry, B6c, Sart-Tilman
Email: loic.michel@uliege.be
Administration & organization:
Mariella LUNETTA
Department of Biology, Ecology & Evolution,
Institute of Chemistry, B6c, Sart-Tilman
Phone : +32 4 366 50 62
Email : M.Lunetta@uliege.be