Universität Wien

300519 SE Trophic Biomarkers in Aquatic Ecology and Ecotoxicology (2021W)

current research status and future challenges

2.00 ECTS (1.00 SWS), SPL 30 - Biologie
Continuous assessment of course work
ON-SITE
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 10 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Monday 04.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 11.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 18.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 25.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 08.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 15.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 22.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 29.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 06.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 13.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 10.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 17.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 24.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1
  • Monday 31.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1.2, Biologie Djerassiplatz 1, 1.004, Ebene 1

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The provision of dietary energy, in particular during times of climate change, is important for survival strategies of all organisms. The aim of this course is to learn about mechanisms that drive sources, trophic transfer, and function of dietary organic matter through aquatic food webs. This course targets students with a strong background in ecology and/or with sufficient background in biochemistry as both groups will greatly benefit from learning how to address conceptual food web questions using modern biochemical methods, including stable isotopes, fatty acids, compound-specific stable isotopes, etc. First, students will learn about concepts of trophic ecology and energy pathways (units 1-5), then we will learn about the complexity of dietary pathways to organism at various trophic levels, including transfer, metabolism, and accumulation of physiologically essential (e.g., trace elements and essential fatty acids), and potentially toxic (e.g., persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals) diet. In particular, students will be introduced to new and upcoming dietary biomarkers (unit 6-8): A) stable isotopes and lipids/fatty acids (unit 6-7) in terrestrial and autochthonous (aquatic) organic matter are used to indicate dietary sources of carbon (d15C), nitrogen (d15N), and hydrogen (d2H) as markers of trophic relationships among organism within aquatic food webs. Moreover, stable isotopes (d13C and d2H) in fatty acids (unit 7) are one of the most upcoming methods to assess the flow and action of dietary energy in consumers and their organs. Depending on the biochemical stability of contaminants, the concurrent investigation of diet biomarkers and bioaccumulation patterns of contaminants in aquatic organism provides additional information of diet uptake success and its nutritional qualtiy (unit 8). In unit 9, students will be introduced to future challenges of pathways and mechanisms of aquatic energy flow, predator-prey interactions, community structure, and contaminant dynamics. This course provides integrative knowledge of how diet flow, if properly characterized, represents a metric of ecosystem health. This course will also include guest lectures from scientists of the United Nations and other prominent food web researchers.

Course topics:
1. Introduction to trophic biomarkers;
2. Carbon and energy budgets in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems; 3. Energy provision to aquatic consumers;
4. Energy utilization by aquatic consumers;
5. Contaminants in aquatic food webs;
6. Trophic tracers in aquatic food webs - stable isotopes;
7. Trophic tracers in aquatic food webs - lipids, fatty acids, and compound-specific stable isotopes;
8. Trophic tracers in aquatic food webs - trace metals and emerging xenobiotics;
9. Future challenges - how will nutritional composition in aquatic food webs change with climate change?

Assessment and permitted materials

Students are required to read, present and discuss research papers on trophic ecology, biomarkers, and ecotoxicology (40%) and to write a final report (60% of final grade).

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Students pursuing MSc or PhD will benefit from this course by reading and discussing new papers every class.
Student participation and scientific discussions (paper discussions) will be in English and evaluated in each class (40%) and by a final report (60%).

Examination topics

Short introduction to specific topics of aquatic food web research with subsequent discussion of course literature.

Reading list

Selected papers on aquatic food web research will be provided for discussion during class.

Association in the course directory

MEC-9

Last modified: Tu 24.01.2023 00:26