AB-832 Arctic Marine Molecular Ecology (10 ECTS)

Course requirements:

Enrolment in a relevant PhD programme.

Academic content:

Molecular genetics represents a continuously more significant part of the toolbox of marine ecologists. Such tools are invaluable in studies of e.g., biodiversity, microbial ecology, environmental genomics and transcriptomics, trophic interactions, and in general in studies aiming to understand the evolutionary backdrop of ecological processes. We will utilize the Isfjorden system as our own marine laboratory where samples for molecular genetic analyses in the UNIS molecular laboratories will be collected.

The combination of field-based high Arctic studies with hands-on use of molecular genetic techniques enables an increased understanding of the high Arctic ecosystem. The course will focus on select parts of the marine ecosystem, although giving an introduction to the whole system. The utility of molecular tools will be discussed and demonstrated, and will represent a significant part of the student projects.

Learning outcomes:

Knowledge
Upon completing the course, the students will be able to:

• Briefly describe the key components of the Arctic marine ecosystem.
• Discuss the utility of molecular tools in marine ecology.
• Examine which molecular technique is most appropriate to different ecological questions.
• Evaluate the advantages and caveats of using molecular genetics in ecology.

Skills
Upon completing the course, the students will be able to:

• Apply genetic tools to own projects.
• Plan and carry out a study in molecular ecology.
• Use relevant statistic tools to analyse data obtained in typical molecular ecological projects.

General competences
Upon completing the course, the students will be able to:

• Communicate own results to a scientific community.
• Write scientific reports based on own samples and data analyses.
• Take responsibility for the planning and leading of small research projects.
• Write a research proposal for a relevant project.

Learning activities:

The course extends over 6 weeks including compulsory safety training, and is run in combination with AB-332. Ship based field sampling will be conducted to secure samples for the student projects, either as one-day excursions or staying out a few days in Isfjorden. The unique high Arctic molecular laboratories of UNIS will be utilised for student projects. Training in the use of relevant bioinformatic analyses will be given.

Total lecture and seminar hours: 30–40 hours.
Laboratory (molecular and computer) work: 7–10 days.
Excursions: 2–4 days.

Compulsory learning activities:

Field excursions, laboratory work.
All compulsory learning activities must be approved in order to sit the exam.

Assessment:

All assessments must be passed in order to pass the course.
Only the final grade will be reported, based on an average of the grades from the examination parts.

Application deadline: 15 April 2020

Want to know more about this course? Read this blog post from a former student.

AB-332/832 students on a research cruise in November. Photo: Anna Vader/UNIS