Marine Biology

About the course

Most of the world's organismal diversity is found in the sea and it is a diverse and relatively unexploited, but potentially large, resource for areas such as pharmacology and biotechnology. The marine organisms live in and are adapted to a variety of habitats that have no counterparts in terrestrial and freshwater environments. In this course, you have the opportunity to further familiarise yourself with these organisms and environments, and immerse yourself in this field.

The course addresses marine organisms, their diversity and their different ways of adapting to their environments. Emphasis will be on animals, but also other marine groups, including microbes, are included. We also deal with various marine habitats (from deep sea and pelagic to coral reefs, with a slight emphasis on the Scandinavian conditions) and the composition of the organism communities, and diverse marine biogeographic patterns. You will also be confronted with the problems of studying marine organisms and making inventories of marine environments, and you will learn techniques and methods for this.

The course contains many practical elements, including a project, and a large part of the course will take place at Klubban Biological Station in Fiskebäckskil, on the Swedish west coast, most likely during the weeks 17-20 (22 April-19 May), 2025.