Coastal and Transitional Ecosystems

«Knowledge» level

The students will acquire basic state-of-the-art knowledge on the following subjects in relation to the ecology of coastal and transitional waters ecosystems:

• Ecosystem structure and functioning

• Field techniques

• Ecosystem uses

• Analysis of biological communities (biological diversity measurement, multivariate analysis of ecological data)

• Assessment of the impacts of human activities on ecosystem status

• Assessment of the Ecological Quality Status of the environment with benthic biotic indices, in compliance with national and European environmental legislation

«Skills» level

The students will be able to perform:

• search, analysis and synthesis of data and information with the use of the necessary technology

• sampling design, field work, lab and data analyses of biological communities

• interpretation and synthesis of the results of their analyses

aiming to comprehend and solve problems pertaining to:

• the structure and functioning of ecosystems

• the impacts of human pressures on ecosystem status

• the management of ecosystems and biological resources

• the assessment of the Ecological Quality Status of the environment with benthic biotic indices.

«Competences» level

The students will be competent:

• in complex technical or professional activities or work plans within the scientific field of the course

• in decision-making and working independently in work and educational environments

• to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to experts as well as to laymen

The course aims to assist the students acquire the following general competences as degree-holders:

• Search for, analysis and synthesis of data and information, with the use of the necessary technology

• Adapting to new situations

• Decision-making

• Working independently

• Team work

• Working in an international environment

• Working in an interdisciplinary environment

• Production of new research ideas

• Project planning and management

• Respect for the natural environment

• Criticism and self-criticism

• Production of free, creative and inductive thinking

Theory classes

• Introduction to the ecology of coastal and transitional waters ecosystems and the field methodology of their study (6h class).

• Organisms – environment interactions in estuarine ecosystems (3h class).

• Coastal lagoons ecology - planktonic and benthic communities (6h class).

• Coastal lagoons uses: solar saltworks (3h class).

• Coastal lagoons uses: aquaculture - fisheries (3h class).

• Introduction to the biological diversity (species, taxonomic, functional diversity), methods of measurement and estimation of biological diversity (6h class).

• Multivariate analysis of biological communities: similarity coefficients, clustering analyses (CLUSTER, FCM), ordination analyses (PCA, NMDS, CCA), statistical hypothesis testing (ANOSIM, PERMANOVA) (6h class).

• Management of coastal and transitional waters ecosystems: Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, benthic biotic indices (AMBI/M-AMBI, BENTIX, BOPA), marine aggregates mining environmental impacts assessment (6h class).

Lab classes

• Laboratory analysis of phytoplankton and soft substrate benthic macrofauna, mining of information from Internet sources (e.g. WoRMS, MedOBIS, FishBase)

• Assessment of the Ecological Quality Status of coastal and transitional waters ecosystems with benthic biotic indices and dedicated software (AMBI/M-AMBI, ΒΕΝΤΙΧ indices)

Suggested bibliography:

• Barnes R.S.K., 1994. The brakish–Water Fauna of Northwestern Europe. Cambridge University Press.

• Clarke, K.R. & Gorley, R.N., 2006. PRIMER v6: User Manual/Tutorial. PRIMER-E, Plymouth.

• Clarke, K.R. & Warwick R.M., 2001. Change in marine communities: an approach to statistical analysis and interpretation, 2nd edition. PRIMER-E, Plymouth.

• Dobson M. & Frid C., 1998. Ecology of Aquatic Systems. Longman.

• Gray J., 2003. ΘΑΛΑΣΣΙΑ ΟΙΚΟΛΟΓΙΑ Εισαγωγή στη δομή και λειτουργία των βενθικών κοινοτήτων: Μια προσέγγιση δια των ιζημάτων. Ελευθερίου Α. και Α. Κούκουρας (Επιμ. Ελληνικής Έκδοσης), UNIVERSITY STUDIO PRESS, 276 Σελ.

• Καρανδεινός, Μ.Γ., 2007. Ποσοτικές οικολογικές μέθοδοι. Πανεπιστημιακές Εκδόσεις Κρήτης.

• Kjerfve B., 1994. Coastal Lagoon Processes. Elsevier.

• Κουτσούμπας, Δ., 2003. Υφάλμυρα Οικοσυστήματα. Πανεπιστημιακές Σημειώσεις, 94 Σελ.

• Κουτσούμπας, Δ., 2015. Εκβολές: εκεί που οι ποταμοί συναντούν την θάλασσα. Θαλάσσια Βιολογία. Ε.Βουλτσιάδου (Επιμ. Ελληνικής  Έκδοσης), UTOPIA, 616 Σελ.

• McLusky D.S. & Elliott M., 2004. The Estuarine Ecosystem. Ecology, Threats and Management. Oxford.

• Magurran, A.E., 2003. Measuring Biological Diversity. Blackwell.

Related academic journals:

• ESTUARINE, COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE

• ESTUARIES AND COASTS

• TRANSITIONAL WATERS BULLETIN

• LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY

• MARINE ECOLOGY

• MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES

• FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE

• AQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS

• MEDITERRANEAN MARINE SCIENCE