Marine Biology and Ecology

The teaching will begin with an introduction to the marine environment and an outline of its main differences from the terrestrial environment. This part will include a description of the physical and chemical characteristics of the oceans that are relevant to life, of the adaptations of organisms to the marine environment, their life histories, and the functioning and productivity of marine ecosystems. Community ecology will be treated by illustrating the characteristics of the main Phyla subdivided amongst plankton, nekton, benthos and meiofauna. This first part of the course will be complemented by elements of biogeography, oceanography and biodiversity, with a special attention on the Mediterranean case.
The second part of the teaching will examine the different methods for the study of marine biodiversity, the exploitation of marine resources (fishery, aquaculture, marine biotechnology) and the different threats to marine biodiversity (e.g., overfishing, habitat degradation and pollution, bio-invasions, climate change). In this context describe the tools available to address them, including marine protected areas (MPAs), with a special focus on the Italian and Mediterranean ones, more conventional, ecosystem-based management and conservation measures, and the precautionary approach. Finally, aspects related to the ethics of marine conservation will be discussed, and presented within the wider international legal marine conservation framework.