300213 PP Biodiversity and Ecology of the Black Sea (2017S)

The course takes place at the Marine Biological station of the Bulgarian Academy of sciences in Sozopol, in cooperation with the local researchers and the Shumen University, Burgas, Bulgaria.

The course familiarises students with the biodiversity and ecology of marine animals and plants in brackish and hypersaline habitats of the Black Sea. It is designed as a complementary and follow-up course of "Introduction to the fauna and flora of marine habitats" (300199) taking place in the euryhaline Northern Adriatic Sea.
Students first become acquainted with the organisms of various habitats, e.g. macroalgae beds, seagrass beds, sand bottoms, etc. Subsequently they conduct miniprojects n small groups. Topics range from assessing changes in species compositions along transects, comparing abundances of selected organisms in different habitats, to zonations within complex habitats. The results are presented in oral and written form.