Coral Reef Ecology: Reef Response to Environmental Change

Target Audience: Undergraduate Student
Graduate Student


Institution: Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS)

Institutional Web Link: http://bios.edu/

Course Description: The aim of this course is to study the biology and ecology of tropical corals and explore their response to environmental changes including those from projected global climate scenarios. This course covers the biological, physical, biogeochemical and evolutionary processes that determine reef growth, function and resilience, ranging from the organism to whole reef tracts. Topics include the processes of metabolism and calcification at the cellular, organismal, and community scale; determinants of community structure, examining trophic dynamics and species interactions; and reef resilience and acclimatization to environmental change, emphasizing processes of reproduction, recruitment, symbiosis, genetics and epigenetics. Lectures will be complemented with field and laboratory exercises. Students will gain experience in coral reef research methods and monitoring of reef health, including benthic surveys, water quality analysis, assessing recruitment recovery, monitoring bleaching, disease, reef fish ecology and invasive species. Laboratory experiments will focus on coral physiology, including symbiosis, growth, reproduction, larval settlement, larval cellular stress response, analysis of next generation coral transcriptomic data and symbiont genetic data.

The Coral Reef Ecology course at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences is an intensive, integrated program comprised of lectures, precepts, laboratory exercises, field (SCUBA) surveys and readings from the primary literature with attention given to active areas of research. The course culminates with a morning of oral presentations where the students present their analysis and research on the data sets collected during the field and lab work.

This course is geared to upper level undergraduates, graduate students and professionals. Prerequisites include satisfactory standing in university-level biology and ecology, and SCUBA certification. Course fee: $4,900 (tuition, room and board). Students can apply to BIOS for scholarships to assist with the course fee..

Description and schedule: http://www.bios.edu/uploads/Coral-Reef-Ecology-Schedule.pdf


Course Fees and Expenses: $4,900.00 USD

Scholarships, Fellowships, Associated with the Course: Students can apply to BIOS for scholarships to assist with the course fee.

Funding Source: Other


How to Apply: The Summer Course Application Form, along with complete instructions, can be found on the webpage (http://www.bios.edu/education/summer-courses/). Please download the form to your computer (e.g., save it to your desktop), complete it, save it, and send it along with all supporting documents as listed on the application to education@bios.edu by April 14, 2017 in order to receive full consideration. Letters of reference should be sent directly to the BIOS education email by referees. Late applications will be considered until the courses are full. Forms filled out in browser mode (i.e., in preview) may not save appropriately.

Application Closing Date: 04/14/2017

Course Begins: 2017-08-07

Course Ends: 2017-08-25