SOE 592 Aquatic Microbial Ecology Spring 2020

Tuesdays & Thursdays 1:25-2:40pm

Hosted in Vancouver with AMS/zoom to all campuses

Instructor: Dr. Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens

This graduate course is focused on the biology and ecology of aquatic microbes, including protists (“plant-like” algae and “animal-like” protozoans), bacterial communities and viruses in aquatic systems. The course will consist of instructor-led presentations/lectures and student-led discussions of primary research literature, with consultation and support from the instructor. Each student will be expected to lead at least two discussions (with a student partner), to prepare two short literature reviews, and write an 8-10 page review paper.

Discussion topics may include:

• Aquatic protist evolution and paleoecology
• A review of microbial biodiversity and function
• Ecological physiology of planktonic microbes
• Worldwide abundance and distribution of aquatic microbes
• Challenges in sampling and identifying aquatic microbes
• Role of microbes in aquatic food webs
• Protist symbioses
• Protists, marine snow and carbon flux
• Role of viruses in aquatic systems

The seminar is open to advanced undergraduates who have taken BIO 106, BIO 372 and have approval of the instructor.