OVERVIEW

The teaching aims to describe the uniqueness and importance of the tropical marine environment. It provides the basic elements for understanding the structure and functioning of tropical marine ecosystems, particularly the main coastal ecosystems, such as: sandy intertidal zones, rocky intertidal zones, mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs. Key elements within each ecosystem will also be identified.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching aims to provide fundamental knowledge about the characteristics and functioning of tropical coastal marine ecosystems, as well as the ecological role of the main components/key species within each ecosystem. Students will acquire the necessary understanding to appreciate the importance of studying tropical marine ecology, and will develop the ability to identify and describe the main components/key species of each tropical marine ecosystem, defining their ecological role in maintaining ecosystem functioning. Students will also gain knowledge to recognize the main reef-building corals, the principal benthic organisms found in reefs, and the main reef fish families, also through the use of preserved specimens from the DISTAV collections. Additionally, the teaching will provide the tools to identify and describe the different tropical biogeographic zones. Practical classroom activities (in the form of exercises and seminars) will be offered to help students acquire the theoretical foundations necessary for monitoring the health status of coral reef communities.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The student will be able to:

· Identify and describe tropical coastal marine environments

· Understand the structural and functional interrelationships among seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, and coral reefs

· Describe coral reef formations, theories on the origin of coral reefs, and the relationship between bioconstruction and biodiversity

· Understand the ecological, trophic, structural, and biosedimentological roles of the main reef organism groups

· Describe the zonation of reef ecosystems and identify the main characteristic coral species/families, understanding species adaptations to the environment based on organism interactions and environmental gradients

· Identify the four tropical marine regions of the planet

· Apply the basic knowledge acquired to issues related to the monitoring of tropical marine ecosystems

· Develop critical thinking skills through the analysis of scientific articles on research and monitoring activities carried out in tropical environments.

PREREQUISITES

The basic notions of ecology and coastal marine ecology are useful to effectively address the contents of the teaching. During the first lessons of the teaching the main characteristics of coastal marine ecosystems and their functioning will be re-called, in particular the benthos-pelagos connection.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching consists of lectures totalling 16 hours (2 credits), and practical exercises and seminars held in the classroom on coral reef community monitoring techniques, totalling 16 hours (1 credit). Classroom lectures are delivered using multimedia presentations. During the lessons, examples of typical tropical organisms preserved in the DISTAV collections will be shown, particularly specimens of reef-building corals, to support the understanding of their characteristics and the identification of the main families.

As no official textbook is adopted, and in order to follow the classroom exercises aimed at applying the acquired knowledge, as well as the seminars on monitoring techniques, attendance at lectures and practical sessions is strongly recommended. Students will have access to course materials provided on Aulaweb.

Attendance at classes is strongly recommended.

The way lessons are taught may be modified due to emergencies that prevent in-person lessons from being held. In this case, classes will be held via the Teams platform using suitable substitute teaching tools.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The program includes:

Definition of the tropics and characterization of the intertropical oceanic zone. Overview of tropical coastal marine environments within the general ecological features of coastal systems. Importance of the benthos and benthos-pelagos connections. The theory of parallel communities. Rocky intertidal zones. Sandy beaches. Seagrass meadows and lagoons. Mangroves and mangrove forests. Coral reef formations. Theories on the origin of coral reefs. Bioconstruction and biodiversity. Dynamic aspects of bioconstruction. Reef-building organisms. Hypotheses on the origin and maintenance of coral reef community diversity. Reef organisms: ecological, trophic, structural, and biosedimentological roles of the main organism groups. Coral biology and ecology. Morphology and identification of major coral taxa: Acroporidae, Faviidae, Poritidae, Fungiidae, Pocilloporidae,

Dendrophylliidae. Relationship between growth forms and environmental factors. Species interactions. Coral bleaching. Vertical and horizontal zonation of reef ecosystems. Ecology of reef fishes. Main families of typical reef fishes and their ecological roles. The four tropical marine regions of the planet: similarities and differences.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The adoption of a reference text is not envisaged. Copies of all the presentations used during classes and of the teaching material are available (downloadable from Aulaweb).

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

For lessons start and timetable visit: https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti/

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of an oral test. It will begin with a critical discussion of a monitoring activity presented during the practical exercises or seminars (chosen by the student), and will continue with 2 to 3 additional questions on topics covered during the teaching and detailed in the syllabus. Photographs of corals and fish will be shown for identification purposes.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Details on how to prepare for the exam and the level of knowledge required for each topic will be provided at the beginning of the teaching and reiterated during the lectures. The oral exam will focus primarily on the topics covered in the lectures and will aim to assess whether the student has achieved an adequate level of knowledge, the ability to identify the main characteristics of the tropical ecosystems discussed in class, and the ability to recognize key environments and species. The student’s ability to present topics clearly and using correct terminology will also be evaluated.

The critical discussion of the chosen monitoring activity will be assessed based on the student’s understanding of the main research methods and their ability to process the acquired information using foundational knowledge of the subject, their ability to make connections between different topics, and their grasp of applied aspects.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Professor Sara Ferrando (sara.ferrando@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.