NBIK12009U Marine Microbiology and Virology

Volume 2015/2016
Education
MSc Programme in Biology
MSc Programme in Biochemistry
Content

Marine microbes (virus, bacteria, archaea and protists) are the key drivers of the biosphere in terms of facilitating primary production and biogeochemical recycling of nutrients. They play a central role in both local and global regulation of marine ecosystems at several trophic levels. Thus, understanding the response of marine microbes to anthropogenic activity and environmental change is of paramount importance for understanding and forecasting global change scenarios. Furthermore, marine microbes represent a huge and largely un-explored resource for new metabolic pathways, bioactive compounds and bioproduction.
The course will cover all these aspects of the ecology and applications of marine microbes by integrating the newest knowledge about microbial diversity, metabolism and interactions at levels ranging from the single cell level, over microbial consortia and communities to entire ecosystems and global scales.
Theoretical and experimental investigations will encompass a variety of planktonic and surface-associated microbes and microbial communities in the marine environment (e.g. virus-bacteria co-cultures, cultures of photosynthetic bacteria and protists, heterotrophic and mixotrophic microbes, natural plankton samples and microbial aggregates on marine snow particles, natural sediments and microbial biofilms, symbiont-bearing microbes and corals).

Central themes of the course encompass:
1) Biodiversity and Evolution
2) Microbial growth, Metabolic Diversity and Ecophysiology
3) Microbes in Ocean Processes and Element Cycling
4) Microbial Interactions (microbe-microbe, microbe-plant, and microbe-animal) in the marine environment.
5) Microbial Diseases, Pollution and Biodeterioration
6) Biotechnological applications
7) Methods in Marine Microbiology and Virology

The course is strongly linked to the research activities of the teachers and involves methodology ranging from classical microbiological quantification, cultivation and description, over advanced ecophysiological methods (e.g. microsensors, flowcytometry, and bioimaging) to modern molecular techniques for studying microbial biodiversity, community composition and activity in situ.

Learning Outcome

Knowledge:

The Marine Microbiology and Virology (MMV) course gives the participants a comprehensive and broad overview of the role of virus, prokaryotes (bacteria, archaea) and microbial eukaryotes (protists) in the marine environment, including their importance in element cycling, symbioses, disease and aquaculture.
Key topics include: Microbial diversity and physiology; Ecological interactions amongst microbes (virus-microbe, microbe-microbe), between microbes and plant/animal hosts (symbiosis and pathogenesis), and between microbes and their environment (microenvironmental controls; biogeochemical processes and element cycles); Microbes as a resource, and the role of microbes in relation to ecosystem management, disease and aquaculture.
Besides giving the participants a solid theoretical framework, the course gives the participants hands-on training and experience with central methods in marine microbiology and virology. This involves both classical and modern experimental approaches that are commonly used in basic and applied research laboratories as well as in environmental monitoring.


Competences:

Successful course participants are able to:

  • Discuss the diversity of marine microbes and their evolution.
  • Account for the microenvironment and physico-chemical boundary conditions that constrain microbial activity and behavior in the marine environment.
  • Account for all major types of microbial metabolism in the marine environment.
  • Account for the role of marine microorganisms in biogeochemical element cycling and ecosystem functioning.
  • Account for important interactions between virus, bacteria, archaea and protists in the marine environment.
  • Account for the role of marine microbes in symbioses, disease and other beneficial/harmful effects of microbes in natural ecosystems, aquaculture and fisheries.
  • Account for current gaps in the understanding of marine microbes.

 

Skills:

  • Perform quantitative assessments of microbial biodiversity, microbial biomass, growth and metabolic activity of microbes, and relevant environmental parameters in marine waters, sediments and biofilms.
  • Demonstrate a detailed insight and hands-on experience with central methods in marine microbiology and virology.
  • Devise experimental strategies for analyzing microbial populations, their activity and interactions in marine ecosystems.
  • Perform experimental quantification of microbes and their activity in marine environmental samples, analyze experimental data, and discuss the experimental results in the context of methodological limitations and uncertainties.
  • Critically read, analyze, discuss and present topics from the original scientific literature (articles and reviews) in marine microbiology and virology.
Literature

See Absalon.

An introductory course in marine biology or microbiology is an advantage.
Course work involves 3 full days of formal teaching per week, consisting of a mixture of lectures, laboratory and field work, guest seminars, and discussion classes including student presentations and theoretical exercises. Formalized homework includes preparation of student presentations, written reports on laboratory exercises, as well as preparation of discussion classes
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Colloquia
  • 12
  • Exam
  • 0,5
  • Excursions
  • 8
  • Lectures
  • 48
  • Practical exercises
  • 96
  • Preparation
  • 211,5
  • Theory exercises
  • 36
  • Total
  • 412,0
Credit
15 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 30 minutes
The final evaluation of the course participants consists of an oral examination in one of the obligatory laboratory exercise reports and the associated parts of the curriculum. The examination consists of a 10 minutes presentation by each student followed by a 20 minutes examination and discussion. There is 20 min. prepapration time.
The oral presentation counts 100% of the grade.
Exam registration requirements
In order to be allowed to the final exam, the student should have participated actively in 80% of the mandatory laboratory exercises, discussion classes and guest seminars. Furthermore, the obligatory laboratory exercise reports must be "accepted" before the final exam.
If the requirement of 80% attendance of the mandatory laboratory exercises, discussion classes and guest seminars is not fulfilled, the student must take the course again the next year.
If the requirement of acceptance of the obligatory laboratory exercise reports is not fulfilled, it can be fulfilled by handing in the reports not later than 2 weeks before the re-exam.
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal examiners
Criteria for exam assesment

The top grade 12 is given to students that demonstrate detailed insights to all the under "Learning Outcome" mentioned points.