BIOHOPK 279H: Physiological Ecology of Marine Megafauna (BIOHOPK 179H)
(Graduate students register for 279H.) The ocean is home to the largest animals of all-time. How, when, and why did gigantism evolve in different taxa? What are the consequences of large body size? This course will focus on how biological processes scale with body size, with an emphasis on oceanic megafauna including marine mammals, birds, fishes, and reptiles. In particular, the course will explore the functional mechanisms that generate the scaling relationships for physiological and ecological traits, such as metabolism, ecosystem function and body size evolution. Students will also be introduced to state-of-the-art technologies used to student marine megafauna in some of the most logistically challenging habitats on earth.
Last offered: Spring 2015
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