Marine Ecology

Marine ecology

The ocean is the largest biome on the biosphere, and the place where life first evolved. Life in a viscous fluid, such as seawater, imposed particular constraints on the structure and functioning of ecosystems, impinging on all relevant aspects of ecology, including the spatial and time scales of variability, the dispersal of organisms, and the connectivity between populations and ecosystems.
The Marine Ecology is the scientific study of marine-life habitat, populations, and interactions among organisms and the surrounding environment including their abiotic and biotic features.
Marine ecology is a subset of the study of marine biology and includes observations at the biochemical, cellular, individual, and community levels as well as the study of marine ecosystems and the biosphere.
The course of Marine Ecology provides an introduction to ecology focuses on specific marine ecological concept, covering interactions between marine organisms and the environment at scales of populations, communities, and ecosystems.
Main Outline contents

• The Mediterranean Sea: the place to be  (this bassin is ideal to understand the basic concepts in Marine ecology (colonization, climax, invasive species, human impact...)
• Ecology of the some marine communities: Posidonia oceanica meadow, from estuaries to rocky shores to polar regions, ... and with afocus on anthropogenic impacts.

• General concepts in ecology applied to marine ecology: definitions, ecologial factors, production, productivity, trophic webs, interspecific relations, competition, predation, zonation of organisms,...

Introduction to marine ecosystems modelling

Le but du cours est d'apprendre à conceptualiser, paramétriser et implémenter des modèles mathématiques des processus biogéochimiques marins. On s'attachera à décrire la formulation mathématique des termes d'interactions écologiques et des taux de réactions chimiques ainsi que l'impact de l'environnement physique sur la formulation de ces termes. On décrira brièvement comment ces modèles sont paramétrisés, calibrés et validés. On étudiera leurs solutions analytique (quand c'est possible) et numérique. On décrira le comportement du système dans le plan de phase. On passera en revue les différents types de modèles et leur utilité (e.g. modèle physiologique, modèle en terme de biomasse, modèle de bilan). Le cours sera accompagné de travaux pratiques au cours desquels les étudiants apprendront à construire et à implémenter des modèles biologiques très simples comprenant deux à 3 variables d'état dans un environnement 0D ou 1D (e.g. expérience de dilution, modèle d'estuaire).

Marine ecology

The course will

• give a basic knowledge of ecological characteristics and processes in the marine environment.
• show the importance, complexity and fragile aspects of different types of marine habitats.

• be abble to explain the factors that determine the spatial and temporal distributions and abundance populations and communities of marine organisms in relation with biotic and abiotic factors.
• be abble to apply ecological principles
• be abble to work constructively both independently and collaboratively and communicate effectively about Marine Ecology (issues and ideas) using language that can be understood by the public and scientists.
• use some methods applied in marine ecology during the field trip.
• develop ability to collect, analyse and interpret marine ecological data.

Introduction to marine ecosystems modelling

The main aim of this course is to learn how to conceptualize, parameterize and implement mathematical models of marine biogeochemical and ecological processes

Marine ecology fieldtrip

Students should

• develop testable alternative hypotheses for the causes underlying the observed patterns.
• design and carry out appropriate empirical tests of the predictions of hypotheses to explain the observed patterns.
• describe spatio-temporal patterns in marine populations and communities, and investigate the underlying processes producing such patterns at multiple scales.

• exploring theories and models in marine ecology;
• identifying and describing patterns and causal processes in marine ecosystems.
• conducting observational and experimental ecological research;

Marine ecology

A  basic knowledge in ecology

Introduction to marine ecosystems modelling

Aucun. Les techniques mathématiques et numériques utilisées seront élémentaires.

Marine ecology

• Lectures and sessions of discussion
• A field trip in Corsica at STARESO, compulsory

Introduction to marine ecosystems modelling

La moitié du cours sera constituée d'exercices pratiques pour se familiariser avec l'implémentation de modèles mathématiques très simples.

Marine ecology fieldtrip

A week in the field at STARESO in Corsica. The student will receive a question at the beginning of the week. It will have to develop a measurement and sampling protocol to meet them.

The student will be guided throughout the week through discussions with the supervisors.

Two mandatory field days are scheduled to visit Pairi Daiza Park and the Zwin Nature Reserve. These visits are intended to enhance understanding of species conservation and coastal ecosystems, as well as marine ecology.

Student attendance is compulsory.

 

Marine ecology

Cours donné exclusivement en présentiel


Explications complémentaires:

Courses in face-to-face.
The attention of the student is regularly requested during tutorial classes.
Field trip at STARESO (Calvi-Corse), compulsory

Introduction to marine ecosystems modelling

1.5 ECTS : théorie
1.5 ECTS : exercices

Marine ecology

The ppt constitute the basis of the course, they contain the essential information and not all of the oral comments given during the course.


The ppt are accessible on myUlg or given at the end of each course.
The ppts, videos, articles are in English, the whole course is given in English.

 

The book "Marine Ecology" (Kaiser et al., 2020) is available (in pdf version) 

Introduction to marine ecosystems modelling

Lecture notes (theory, exercices) are available via eCampus. Each lecture is podcasted to allow the student to revise the lecture at its own rythm. 

Marine ecology

Examen(s) en session

Toutes sessions confondues

- En présentiel

évaluation orale


Explications complémentaires:

An oral exam (after a preparation with ppts).  (2 questions) during the session (50% of the final mark)
An oral presentation after the fieldtrip in Corsica (precise guidelines will be provoded at the  beginning of the training at STARESO) (50% of the final mark).
 

Introduction to marine ecosystems modelling

Examen(s) en session

Toutes sessions confondues

- En présentiel

évaluation écrite ( questions ouvertes )

Travail à rendre - rapport


Explications complémentaires:

A homework  is due for January 7th at midnight. Description of the homework will be given during the lecture and will be made available via eCampus. Students will have to develop, implement and analyze a simple biogeochemical model to solve an environmental problem.  This homework has to be realized by group of 3-4 students. A written report of ~10 pages describing the results and answering a list of questions has to be provided as well as the Rmd file describing the model code. 

For those who failed in January, a  second session exam will be planned in August/September. 

All the exams are exclusevely in person.

Marine ecology fieldtrip

Explications complémentaires:

A dissertation of 10 minutes based on the the presentation is graded not only on its content but also on its quality , clarity, respect of the timing.
An oral presentation. The student will have to describe to the whole class in about ten minutes the activities of the week with an introduction, objectives, the results obtained, a discussion. He-she must also be able to take a critical look at his experimental approach.

Marine ecology

Field trip
During the field trip (station STARESO of the University of Liège- Calvi Corsica) the concepts to a practical study of the distribution of the marine organisms in relation to biotic and abiotique factors are applied.

These approaches are made in snorkelling, in scuba diving followed by determinations under binocular, photographic documents taken by the student.
 

* non obligatoire, en règle de formalité (certificat médical, brevet...)

* not compulsary, only possible if you have your licence and a medical check-ups done less than 12 months ago

 

Marine ecology fieldtrip

During the field trip (station STARESO of the University of Liège- Calvi Corsica) the concepts to a practical study of the distribution of the marine organisms in relation to biotic and abiotic factors are applied.

These approaches are made in snorkelling, in scuba diving followed by determinations under binocular, photographic documents taken by the student.

* non obligatoire, en règle de formalité (certificat médical, brevet...)

During thes two days of visits at Zwin and Pairi Daiza, students will receive a list of preparatory questions, attend presentations, and will be required to give an oral presentation on their visit.

Marine ecology

• Respectez les horaires de cours. 
• Envoyer une demande par email ne signifie pas une réponse instantanée, soyez patient, vos demandes seront traitées le plus rapidement possible.

• Seules les demandes envoyées avec votre adresse Mail-ulg seront traitées.

Introduction to marine ecosystems modelling

Aucune

Marine ecology

Prof Sylvie Gobert
Océanologie Institut de Chimie. B6c-2/49
Tél: 04 3663329 e-mail:sylvie.gobert@uliege.be                                  
Secretariat M Lunetta: 04 366 50 62
https://www.facebook.com/oceanbioulg/ http://labos.ulg.ac.be/oceanologie/ http://www.stareso.ulg.ac.be/

Prof Krishna Das
Océanologie Institut de Chimie. B6c-2/81 Unite d'Ecologie Marine, Laboratoire d'Ecologie animale et d'Ecotoxicologie Tél: 04 3663321 e-mail:krishna.das@uliege.be
Vous pouvez vous adresser à mon secrétariat: Madame Mariella Lunetta vous recevra à son bureau (B6C, local 1/21 , Sart Tilman) le mardi de 8h30 à 10H30 et le jeudi de 13H30 à 15h00.

• Je suis disponible pendant les cours ou directement après chaque séance pour répondre à vos questions. Merci de prendre RDV (auprès de Madame Lunetta au 04/366 50 62 ou par email: M.Lunetta@uliege.be) si vous désirez me consulter en dehors de ces horaires.
• Vous pouvez déposer des documents écrits dans ma boite aux lettres dans le local 2/48.

Introduction to marine ecosystems modelling

Prof. Marilaure Grégoire,

MAST research group

Department of Astrophysics, Geophysics and Oceanography (AGO)

e-mail : mgregoire@uliege.be