Marine Reproduction

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Describe factors that trigger spawning in marine organisms and compare spawning behaviour between different taxa.
• Analyse histological slides of reproductive organs and early life stages.
• Describe early development of different marine organisms and how it is affected by environmental factors.
• Formulate life-history hypotheses from experimental reproductive studies and histological analyses.

The lectures will include reproductive morphology and histology, oogenesis and spermatogenesis, fertilization kinetics, biodiversity in larval forms and detailed analysis of embryonic and larval development in specific taxa of marine organisms, both vertebrate and invertebrate. Also studied will be larval physiology and larval behaviours and how reproduction and early life stage ecology is affected by the environment and the potential for adaptation.

There will be four 3-hour practicals, which are connected and build upon each other. The first will look into triggers of spawning and spawning behaviour, the second into early development after fertilization, the third into histological methods and the fourth into data analysis.

Formal Lectures:

Lectures and practicals will introduce the theory underlying all aspects of reproduction. Each lecture systematically covers the main concepts and topics using PowerPoint presentations. Where relevant, lecturer's own research experience in the appropriate fields is brought into the lecturing sessions. References to the applicable chapter of course text and/or other relevant journal articles are provided as essential reading for each lecture.

Practical sessions: exemplify the theory covered during formal lectures allowing you to develop particular skills of relevance to all aspects of reproductive biology and a range of related experimental techniques in the lab.

A wide range of support can be provided for those students who have further or specific learning and teaching needs.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Practical Report

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback: Annotation on submissions, direct conversations in the lab and after presentations.
• Final Assessment: No
• Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.