This course is intended to provide students with a broad overview of ecological processes operating in estuarine, near shore coastal and open ocean systems. Initially, students are introduced to important primary producers and secondary consumers in each of these systems. Insights into physiological and population levels of organization build on these basics. Environmental factors that influence species-specific and population level interactions are discussed subsequently as a transition to the concepts of community organization. The major chemical cycles in marine systems (e.g., carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) are then discussed. All of this material forms a foundation for explaining how the structure and function of communities are maintained over different scales in both time and space.
