Biology

BIOL4851Ecology of Marine Birds (O)5 ch (C/L/S) (LE)

This course treats seabirds as important components of marine food-webs. Fundamental adaptations (structure, function, physiology, life-history) of seabirds will be linked to the ecological processes driving them. The influence of major oceanographic patterns (bathymetry, currents, upwellings) on seabird distribution and numbers will be explored. Through exploration of the role of seabirds as predators of other marine biota, and in nutrient transfer between marine and terrestrial systems, students will gain a thorough understanding of the roles played by seabirds in marine and coastal systems. Course includes an overnight field trip to Grand Manan Island, for which there may be an extra cost. Examples will be drawn from current seabird research especially in Atlantic Canada. Limited enrolment. 

Prerequisites: BIOL 2063, BIOL 2068, or permission of the instructor. Recommended: BIOL 3633. Offered in alternate years; normally taken in the same term as BIOL 4211BIOL 4221, BIOL 4641, BIOL 4991 as part of the Marine Biology Concentration.