NBIK21002U Experimental Marine Biology

Volume 2025/2026
Education

MSc Programme in Biology
MSc Programme in Biology with a minor subject

Content

The course gives an introduction to modern techniques used in experimental marine biology. The course builds closely on the knowledge obtained from the theoretical course in Marine Biology. The course consists of a series of demonstrations and “hands on” experiments with different sizes and functional groups of marine organisms, including phototrophic and mixotrophic protists, bacteria, invertebrates and fish, and a small student-driven experimental project. Guest lectures and the course teachers present current research topics.

Learning Outcome

By attending the course the student will achieve:

Knowledge:

The student acquires knowledge on experimental techniques to study the feeding, growth, grazing and respiration of different marine organismal groups, like bacteria, phototrophic and heterotrophic protists, metazooplankton, macroalgae, invertebrates, and fish. The student can identify and describe important processes in the marine environment such as growth, grazing, predation, respiration and as well as general physiology of marine organisms and relate that to the spatial and temporal distribution of organisms. The student will be able to identify and describe important processes in the marine environment and place them in a comprehensive biological context.

Skills:

The student will acquire knowledge on common methods, tools and techniques used in the study of marine organisms and processes (e.g., microscopy, particle counting, maintenance and preparation of organisms for experiments, use of oxygen sensors for respiration measurements in sediments and water samples).

Competences:

The student will be able to design scientific experiments, and perform and evaluate experimental techniques for measuring processes such as growth, respiration, grazing and predation, and the use of such data in evaluating the of organisms in time and space. The student can generalize existing knowledge concerning the structure and function of different marine systems. 

See Absalon.

The course is a mandatory part of the Marine Biology programme. It runs simultaneously with the Marine Biology(NBIK21001U), and it is recommended to take both courses in the same block.
It is a requirement that students either have passed the theoretical course "NBIK21001U Marine Biology" or is registrered for both courses in the same block.
Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
Lectures, theoretical and practical exercises, demonstrations, and experiments.
The teaching will take place at the Marine Section in Helsingør.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 14
  • Preparation
  • 61
  • Theory exercises
  • 20
  • Practical exercises
  • 30
  • Project work
  • 70
  • Guidance
  • 10
  • Exam
  • 1
  • Total
  • 206
Written
Oral
Collective
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 20 minutes with 20 minutes preparation time
Type of assessment details
Oral examination in one of the four assignment reports and course syllabus. The oral examination counts 100% of the grade.
Exam registration requirements

Four assignment reports based on the experimental work must be approved by the responsible teacher during the course.

Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal examiners
Re-exam

The same as the ordinary exam.

If the requirement is not fulfilled, four written assignment reports must be handed in and approved no later than three weeks before the reexamination.

Criteria for exam assesment

In order to obtain the grade 12 the student should convincingly and accurately demonstrate the knowledge, skills and competences described under Learning Outcome.