Coastal and Estuarine Ecology-ENEC 448
Topics covered in class
Orientation: Marine Ecologists as Detectives
The Abiotic/Physical Environment of Coastal and Estuarine Systems or Life in a Fluid Environment
Community Regulation – Lessons From Rocky Shores and Application to 3D environments
Top-down Versus Bottom-up Control
Reproductive and Larval Ecology
Marine Disease Ecology
Positive Interactions in Ecological Communities
Marine Food Webs – Structure and Dynamics
Seascape Ecology
Marine Biogeography (Macroecology)
Biodiversity: Drivers and Functions
Community Ecology of Seagrass Meadows
Natural History of Shellfish Reefs
Salt Marshes (and Mangroves) – Old and New Paradigms
Marine Historical Ecology (various time scales)
Natural Climate Cycles and the Response of Coastal Ecosystems
Ecological Stability, Resilience, and Alternative Stable States
Press and Pulse Disturbance
Field Trips
Floating dock and seawalls
Shark trip
Rachel Carson (seagrass, oyster, mudflat, marsh)
Beach and back barrier systems (beach, marsh, oyster, mudflat)