300187 VO Biology of Marine Benthic Systems I - Vegetation dominated systems (2014W)

Introduction: benthos, geomorphology of the sea floor, conditions for the existence of marine vegetation (light, substrate stability), types of marine benthic vegetation.
Salt marshes: Distribution, marsh types, marsh plants, zonation, associated fauna
Salt marshes: Productivity, food chains, interaction with neighboring systems
Mangrove forests: Distribution, mangrove trees and morphological adaptations, zonation, associated fauna (movie: Caribbean mangrove system)
Mangrove forests: Ecophysiological adaptations, productivity, food chains, interaction with neighboring systems
Sea grass meadows: Distribution, types of sea grasses, pollination, associated fauna (movie: The Neptune Grass (Posidonia oceanica) meadows of the Mediterranean Sea
Sea grass meadows: Growth strategies, productivity, the epiphyte problem, food chains, interaction with neighboring systems
Macroalgal systems: Algal groups, photosynthesis and the role of accessory pigments, growth and productivity
Macroalgal systems: Kelp beds, distribution and zonation, associated fauna, interaction with neighboring systems
Floating benthos – the Sargassum community in the North Atlantic. Any odds and ends