BIOSM 3730 - Biodiversity and Biology of the Marine Invertebrates

Summer. 3 credits. S-U or letter grade option.

Prerequisite: one semester of college-level biology or equivalent. Offered alternate years. Held at the Shoals Marine Laboratory.

D. Harvell.

Introduction to the biology and evolution of the major invertebrate phyla, concentrating on marine representatives. In addition to the evolution of form and function, lectures cover aspects of ecology, behavior, physiology, chemical ecology, and natural history of invertebrates. Shoals Marine Lab exposes students to a wealth of marine and terrestrial invertebrates in their natural habitats. Regular field excursions allow an excellent opportunity to study freshly collected and in situ representatives of most of the major phyla.