American Museum of Natural History

Marine Biology

John Sparks

Instructor: John Sparks

18,012 already enrolled

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8

(327 reviews)

Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
Approx. 6 hours
Learn at your own pace
99%
Most learners liked this course
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8

(327 reviews)

Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
Approx. 6 hours
Learn at your own pace
99%
Most learners liked this course

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Assessments

5 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 5 modules in this course

Did life on Earth begin in the ocean? How diverse are marine organisms, compared to those on land? What are the forces that shaped their evolution, and what threats do they face? We begin our course by investigating questions whose answers are far less straightforward than you might think. Here we will meet our course authors and look through a porthole onto their scientific research. We will learn how destructive fishing techniques are affecting the ecosystems of squid species and how biofluorescence and bioluminescence help mysterious deep-sea creatures survive and reproduce.

What's included

4 videos3 readings1 assignment

Just as life on land depends on the air we breathe, life in the ocean depends on water. What are the properties of seawater, and how are they important to life? This week we will examine seawater’s chemical and physical characteristics—things like temperature, salinity, acidity, pressure, and the transmission of sunlight—that profoundly affect the organisms living in it. We’ll study how water moves through the ocean and beyond, in a great global cycle that includes internal motion like tides and currents, but also processes like evaporation, precipitation, and wind, which take place outside the ocean. Then we will look at how organisms take advantage of all this motion. How do the water’s properties allow marine life to find food, escape from predators, meet mates, and spread their offspring? Finally, we will a visit with a bioengineer who designs her own equipment to create pulsing images of a previously little-studied organism, a gelatinous filter-feeder that’s enormously important in its ecosystem.

What's included

2 videos4 readings1 assignment

This week we will examine another aspect of motion underwater: how matter and energy move through marine ecosystems, from the photosynthetic organisms that capture sunlight at the base of the food pyramid to the huge predators at the top, as well as the organisms that cycle waste and dead creatures back into the system. What lives where, and why? How do the movement of matter and energy affect the patterns of life in the ocean?We will take a closer look at principles of ecology and how they apply in marine environments. How do species interact within a community? How do they help and harm one another, and how do their interactions drive their evolution? In a case study, we will visit a marine scientist who studies dolphins that herd their prey and find out about the daily migrations those prey species make between deep and shallow waters.

What's included

3 videos3 readings1 assignment

Blue whales are the largest animals that ever lived and have among the longest migrations of any mammalian species. Their massive body size and range bring with them a unique set of challenges. How do blue whales get enough energy feasting on just tiny krill? A group of scientists, including biologist Jeremy Goldbogen at Hopkins Marine Station at Stanford University, has revolutionized the study of whale behavior by developing and deploying multi-sensor tags on whales. The scientists look for patterns in their data in order to understand what whales are doing during their deep dives, and what this behavior reveals about the ecosystems the whales inhabit.

What's included

4 videos4 readings1 assignment

The threats to ocean life are numerous and dire, but they are not foretold. For example, “super corals” appear to be resistant to warming waters and scientists are successfully replanting samples in vulnerable reefs. This week we investigate the relationship between humans and the ocean: the services the oceans provide, how those services are threatened by human activity, and what might be done to mitigate these threats. We also look at a number of other scientists who are working from many disciplines on conservation strategies.

What's included

4 videos3 readings1 assignment

Instructor

Instructor ratings
4.8 (122 ratings)
John Sparks
American Museum of Natural History
1 Course18,012 learners

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4.8

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