BIOS4400 – Pelagic Ecology
Course description
Course content
The course gives an introduction to the ecosystems of the free water masses and will cover topics ranging from the physicochemical environment to food webs, biological processes, and evolutionary adaptations of pelagic organisms, to how contemporary environmental challenges affect these systems. These topics will be explored in lectures, laboratory and computer exercises, and in the field. The course includes an experimentally oriented field course, with cruise work in Oslofjorden.
Learning outcome
This course provides a basic understanding of small and large-scale processes that govern the structure and function of pelagic ecosystems. You will receive an introduction to:
- The physicochemical environment, and its role for the vertical structure of the pelagic habitat.
- Organisms, biological processes, evolutionary adaptations, and food webs.
- The role of global change for the pelagic ecosystems
- Pelagic sampling
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Applicants are ranked by the following criteria:?
- Master students admitted to the program option?Marine biology and limnology at UiO.
- Master students at the MN faculty who have the course as part of the approved curriculum.
- Master students
- Students with admission to single courses on master’s level and exchange students
Applicants are ranked by credits in each group; all applicants within 1st rank before applicants in 2nd etc. If admission is limited to a fixed number of participants, admission will be decided by drawing lots for students who are ranked equally.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Recommended previous knowledge
General ecology and biodiversity (for ex. BIOS1150 – Biodiversity/BIOS2220 – Aquatic Biodiversity), basic physics (for ex. FYS1001 – Introduction to Physics), and basic knowledge of R-programing (STK1000 – Introduction to Applied Statistics).?
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with BIO3400 – Aquatic Ecology (discontinued).
- 10 credits overlap with BIO4400 – Pelagic Ecology (continued).
Teaching
The teaching consists of:
- Lectures (The?instructive lectures prior to activities in the course is mandatory)?
- Laboratory exercises (Mandatory)
- Computer exercises (Mandatory hand ins)
- Colloquia?
- Project work (Mandatory)?
- Cruises with the research vessel Trygve Braarud in Inner Oslofjord, and a week long field course in Dr?bak (Mandatory)?
- Laboratory and computer exercises, cruises, fieldwork, and project work are mandatory, as are instructive lectures prior to these.
Mandatory course work must be approved before the student can attend the exam.
The first lecture is mandatory. If you can not attend the first lecture, please send a note to studieinfo@ibv.uio.no, before the first lecture.
As?the?teaching involves laboratory and/or fieldwork, you should consider taking out a separate travel and personal risk insurance.?Read about your insurance cover as a student.
The course is only given if three or more students meet in the first lecture.
Approved mandatory course work is valid for 3 years.
Access to teaching: A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
Cost of taking the course
The excursion has a fee on 150 NOK per day.
Examination
Final written exam which counts 100 % towards the final?grade.?
To be able to take the final written exam, reports from laboratory exercises, project work and field work must be approved. All mandatory teaching must be approved before you can sit the final?exam.
It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to sit the exam for this course, if you sit the exam for one of the following courses: BIO3400 – Aquatic Ecology (discontinued),BIO4400 – Pelagic Ecology (continued).
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed.
Language of examination
You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F?is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
This course offers both postponed and resit of examination. Read more:
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.