Basic zoological and Botanical knowledge

Part I: Diversity of life cycle of marine invertebrates, larval development and larval type analysis; life history diversity and evolution. Meaning of the different developmental modes. Part II. Factors structuring marine communities,. Associations among different organisms and symbiosis. Ecological implication of life cycle diversity,, factors determining spatial and temporal dynamics and community assembly rules. Supply side ecology and connectivity

The student will be able to recognize:

Larval types of the different Phyla and their phylogenetic connections

• differences between phases of the life cycle and traits of the life history

• diversity, complexity and unity of development

• adaptations and influence in the associations between animals

• ability to summarize the topics covered and links the practical aspects

 • sampling and collection techniques will also be taken into consideration

• Working hypotheses and planning

Communication skills

Understanding and synthetize scientific articles will be greatly considered

The exam involves the analysis of publications related to course topics with the creation of a presentation plus a written exam with multiple choice and open-ended answers.

Factor shaping community structure and relationships among different organisms, concept of symbiosis. Diversity of life cycle of marine invertebrates; larval development and larval type analysis; evolutionary implications. life-history diversity. Ecological implications (population dynamics; settlement and recruitment; recruitment limitation; pre and post settlement events; factors determining spatial and temporal dynamics and community assembly rules. Supply side ecology and Connectivity. Basic concepts on community ecology. Factors controlling the local biodiversity, importance of biotic relationships and animal associations within community. Importance of life cycle and life-history

material provided in class