Zoology

Credit Points

Course Coordinator

Professor Paul Thompson and Dr Beth Scott

Pre-requisites

Available only to students enrolled for the Masters Programme in Applied Marine & Fisheries Ecology

Overview

Lectures, field trips and problem solving sessions, as well as opportunities to meet representatives of management bodies to discuss how this information is used in practice.

Structure

4 one-hour lectures embedded in 5 full days of field work, site-visits and problem solving and discussion sessions

Assessment

Group presentation of project work conducted during course and assessed seminars in week 27 on topics related to residential course

Credit Points

7.5

Course Coordinator

Dr C. Tara Marshall

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This module will survey fundamental aspects of the biology of different components of the fish community through lectures and practicals. At the individual level, the life cycles and life history strategies of fish will be summarised. Key aspects of population-level biology, including fish migration and population structure, will be covered. Case studies for a range of key Scottish species will also be covered. the relevance of fisheries biology to fisheries management will be highlighted throughout the course

Structure

Five 2-hour lectures each week; two 7-hour practicals; one computer based practical

Assessment

The module wil be assessed on two graded practicals (50% each)

Credit Points

Course Coordinator

B Scott

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course aims at introducing students to core concepts in marine biology and ecology and marine management. The course will introduce students to key principles guiding the diversity of life in the oceans and driving marine ecosystem functioning. It will also introduce them to fisheries and marine management concepts that will be expanded upon in subsequent modules. The overarching goal of this module is to bring students coming from varied backgrounds to a similar level of understanding of life in the oceans and current management issues.

Key concepts covered:
• Marine biological principles
• Oceanographic principles
• Introduction to fisheries biology and management
• Ecological drivers in the marine environment
• Marine ecosystem functions.

Structure

Assessment

The module will be assessed based on a 1) group presentation (40 %), 2) an individual 2 page summary (40%) and 3) debating skills and background preparation during the student-lead discussion (individual work 20%) on either the Advantages or Disadvantages of Ecosystem Based Management.

Credit Points

7.5

Course Coordinator

S Martin

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

Criteria for species selection.
Diseases and Parasitology of fish and shellfish. Control and treatment. Health regulations. Epidemiology of disease.
Environmental implications of aquaculture.
Nutrition and feed technology.
Genetics and selective breeding.

Structure

Lectures, seminars and site visit(s). Threaded module.

Assessment

Continuous assessment with one essay (2,500 words)

Credit Points

7.5

Course Coordinator

J Travis

Pre-requisites

N/A

Overview

This course will explore current understanding based on theoretical and empirical studies of processes operating in populations of organisms. It will start by developing an understanding of the dynamics of simple non-spatial and discrete-generation populations. This will include concepts related to density and environment dependence and will consider cyclic and chaotic population dynamics. The course will then progress by introducing different forms of realism and complexity. Stage and sex-structured population dynamics will be considered. The role of spatial structure with local populations linked by the movement of individuals will be addressed. Finally, we will also introduce some trophic interactions, including predator prey, parasite host and plant herbivores as well as species embedded in more complex set of trophic interactions, including apparent competition. Throughout the course, we will focus on relatively simple discrete time models and students will be taught how to develop these using R and to use them to explore and describe emergent behaviours. We will also introduce a state-of-the-art population modelling software (called RangeShifter), recently developed at Aberdeen, and the students will be provided the opportunity to use this software to simulate how species are likely to change their biogeographic distributions under climate and/or land use change.

Structure

2 two-hour lectures per week; 1 x three-hour tutorial/discussion/data analysis session per week.

Assessment

Continuous assessment by means of a conference style presentation and a proposal for a modelling project.

Credit Points

5.5

Course Coordinator

Dr Paul Fernandes and Dr Dave Reid

Pre-requisites

x

Co-requisites

x

Notes

Overview

The first part of this unit deals with fishing gear technology and fish behaviour. It includes lectures on the various types of gear including trawls, gill nets and ghost fishing, as well as measurement and observation in gear experiments. Various behavioural concepts are covered including swimming and fish sensory systems with a further look at fish vision. A visit to FRS' Fish behaviour Unit (FBU) is included in this unit. The concept of selectivity is described in theoretical detail and is then followed by a description of the various selectivity techniques and a review of unaccounted mortality; a short practical on selectivity is given. A lecture on technical measures describes some of the main techniques used to control the fishery. A final lecture on applied behaviour considers how research can influence gear design and fishing practice.

The second part covers fishery independent (surveys) methods, with emphasis on the acoustic survey technique. This is another intensive week-long programme of lectures and practicals dealing with fishery independent (surveys) data. Lectures are given on each of the main survey methods: acoustic, trawl, larvae, egg and TV surveys. The general design concept, relating to all types of survey, is addressed in a lecture and illustrated through a practical as applied to acoustic surveys. Particular attention is then given to the more complex acoustic survey techniques. Lectures cover the physics of sound, acoustic instruments, the acoustic properties of fish and methods of biomass estimation. An acoustic survey data analysis lecture is followed by a practical which details the procedures from acoustic measurement to a global estimate of abundance. Finally, lectures are given covering survey statistics common to all methods, including one on geostatistics.

Structure

- 11 lectures on fish technology and behaviour
- 11 lectures on surveys
- 1 practical on survey design
- 1 practical on [acoustic] survey analysis

Assessment

The module will be assessed based on 2-graded practicals (70% for analysis and 30% for design)

Credit Points

7.5

Course Coordinator

Dr David Lusseau

Pre-requisites

Successful completion of Experimental Design and Analysis module .

Notes

Overview

The module will be divided in three components each lasting one week.

Week 1: computer intensive statistical techniques

Students are introduced to computer intensive statistical techniques required to understand some of the network analyses.
- Topic 1: bootstrap; jackknife
- Topic 2: permutations
- Topic 3: randomisation tests

Week 2: Network structure

- Topic 1: centrality measures
- Topic 2: motifs
- Topic 3: community structure

Week 3: Network processes

We will focus on understanding the dynamics of network evolution and processes taking place on networks
- Topic 1: critically and self-organised critically for biologists
- Topic 2: network evolution models
- Topic 3: propagation on networks

Structure

Three 2-hour lectures each week
One 2-hour tutorial each week
One 4-hour computer-based practical session each week

Assessment

The module will be assessed based on 3 graded practicals (30% each) and class participation (10%)

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr Beth Scott

Pre-requisites

Successful completion of Marine Ecology and Ecosystem management, Fisheries Biology and Population Ecology modules.

Co-requisites

Spatial Information Analysis (GIS).

Notes

Overview

Week 1 Lectures topics:
Habitat Landscapes and Ecological Geography
Marine Spatial Planning: Current EU and UK legislation, locations and levels of protection areas in UK waters
Lab: Use of 1-D bio-physical coupled model for exploring definition of marine landscapes and climatic effects on trophic linkages within a range of landscapes.

Week 2 Lectures topics:
Spatial explicit exploitation and species population dynamics
Spatial feeding and reproductive needs of selected species
Lab: Use individual based cod model to explore population effects of differences in times and locations of exploitation.

Week 3:
Working in groups on the reasons for the design and methods for testing (and defining) the success of a MPA (Marine Protected Area).

Structure

2 two-hour lectures each week (thread I); 2 seven-hour practicals (Thursday week 1 and 2, thread I).

Assessment

The module will be assessed (100%) on an independently produced assignment of group project work that designs and defines the reasons for an MPA (Marine Protected Area).

Credit Points

5.5

Course Coordinator

Mr Coby Needle and Dr Helen Dobby

Pre-requisites

Successful completion of the Professional Development Course (specifically the biostatistics components)

Notes

Overview

The module will be divided in three components each lasting one week.
Week 1: Introduction to stock assessment
Students are introduced to the basic principles of stock assessment, and are taught methods for generating simulated data for subsequent analysis.
- Topic 1: Basic assessment principles.
- Topic 2: Fishery data collection.
- Topic 3: Data simulation.

Week 2: Single-species stock assessment models
Students are tasked with writing functions to implement simple stock assessment models, which they will test by applying to the data simulated in the first week.
- Topic 1: Separable models.
- Topic 2: Cohort analysis.
- Topic 3: Length-based assessment.

Week 3: Forecasts, management advice, multi-species approaches
In the third week, students will carry the methods and results from the first two weeks forward into analysis of the fisheries management advisory process. This leads into work on alternative multispecies approaches.
- Topic 1: Short-term forecasts.
- Topic 2: Multi-species models.
- Topic 3: Management advice.

Structure

The course will consist of a combination of computer-based practical sessions and lectures. The lectures will be more informal than usual and will not be strictly timetabled.

Assessment

The module will be assessed based on a single graded exercise (100%), to be handed in after the end of the course.

Credit Points

60

Course Coordinator

Individual Supervisors

Pre-requisites

Successfully complete postgraduate taught courses to a satisfactory standard

Overview

x

Structure

Assessment

continuous Assessment/Oral examination

Credit Points

7.5

Course Coordinator

Dr Beth Scott

Pre-requisites

Registered for the MRes or MSc Applied Marine and Fisheries.

Overview

How to write a literature review; how to plan a project; how to write a research proposal.

Structure

There will be one 3 hour session in each of the three weeks where the class meets with the co-ordinator. The other contact time will be arranged with project supervisors within the School.

Assessment

100% continuous assessment in the form of a literature review and project plan.