BIOS4310 – Marin Ecology I

After having completed the course, you have knowledge of:

• The structure and function of ocean habitats (pelagic and benthic)
• Species interactions and ecological processes in marine environments
• The impact of human activities on marine life
• Key concepts in biodiversity and marine food webs
• The effects of climate change on marine ecosystems
• Fundamentals of oceanography, including ocean chemistry and physics
• How physical and chemical processes shape marine environments

In addition, you will have led project groups and supervised Bachelor students.

Students admitted at UiO must apply for courses in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may apply to take this course as a single course student.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

The courses BIOS3310 and BIOS4310 have joint admission. Students are ranked by the following criteria:

1. Bachelor´s programme students at the Department of Biosciences and master´s programme students at the MN Faculty who have the course approved in their study plan.

2. Other program students.

3. Single course students and exchange students.

Applicants are ranked by number of credits within each group; all applicants within the 1st group are ranked before applicants in the 2nd group etc. For students who have equal number of credits within one group, admission is determined by random selection.

The courses have a capacity of 40 students.

This course consists of

• Lectures
• Colloquium
• Group seminars (mandatory)
• Field Trips (mandatory)

Mandatory activities must be approved to sit the exam. Approved mandatory activities is valid for 3 years.

Attendance is mandatory for the first lecture. This also applies for those on the waiting list. You will lose your seat on the course if notice is not given to the student administration studieinfo@ibv.uio.no prior to the first lecture.

As the teaching involves laboratory and/or field work, you should consider taking out a separate travel and personal risk insurance. Read about your insurance cover as a student.

A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.

Field Course

Location: Drøbak Biological Station, Trygve Braarud and IBV

Participants: Bachelor and Master students, professors

Field course structure: A tiered mentoring approach strengthens the course by creating a clear flow of knowledge from professors to Master students and from Master students to Bachelor students. Masters gain practical leadership and supervision experience. Professors can focus on higher level input while Masters handle direct supervision.

Day 1 and Day 2: Preparation (Drøbak, Trygve Braarud)

• Training in benthic and pelagic field methods
• Practice in sampling, data handling, and basic analysis
• Sessions on mentoring skills and how to deliver a clear scientific talk

Day 3 and Day 4: Project Development with Bachelor Students (Drøbak, Trygve Braarud)

• Bachelor students split into groups
• Field and lab work on benthic and pelagic topics
• Master students act as mentors and lead small project teams
• Professors support method choices and critical thinking

Day 5: Project Presentations

• Bachelor student groups present results
• Master students support structure and clarity of the talks
• Feedback from peers, mentors, and professors

• Seminar attendance abstracts counts 10% towards the final grade.
• Group seminar presentation counts 20% towards the final grade.
• Final written exam which counts 70% towards the final grade.

This course has mandatory activities that must be approved before you can sit the final exam.

It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to sit the exam for this course if you sit the exam for the following course: BIOS3310 – Marine Ecology I

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.

Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass, the original examination.