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ADVANCED
PROGRAMS
Advanced
programs are available for student groups who have already
attended a standard MarineLab program.
These programs are most suitable for high school students and
can be scheduled at any time of the year. Sample
activities are listed below.
There are some prerequisites to
schedule a MarineLab advanced program:
- Every student – not just
most of them – must have already attended a MarineLab
program. Our advanced curriculum builds on the
information already provided in a MarineLab program, and
time restraints prevent us from providing that background
material to only a few students.
- All advanced programs are a
minimum of four days and three nights.
Some of our advanced program
activities:
 Advanced
Coral Reef Ecology Important concepts of coral
reef ecology (including zooxanthellae and potential hazards)
will be reviewed. This brief review will lead into an
advanced discussion of coral reef ecology. Concepts to be
emphasized include: morphology of coral reefs; the effect
of sunlight availability (depth) on the shape of boulder corals;
the impact of sunlight availability on the community
composition; Keys geology, including the formation of Hawk’s
Channel and the banks; community interactions including
competition and predation; the influence of water quality
parameters on community composition; coral diseases, artificial
reefs, and the impact of exotic invasive species. A
snorkeling field trip to representative reefs will follow the
discussion.
Fouling Communities
Following a discussion of fouling communities, and their impact
on boat speeds, students will snorkel in the lagoon to collect
organisms from four different substrates (wood, rock, plastic,
and metal). In the laboratory the students will identify
the collected organisms, and compare the diversity of organisms
on each substrate type. Concepts to be emphasized include:
identification of various fouling organisms; the impact of
fouling organisms on vessels; methods currently used to prevent
the settlement of fouling organisms; underwater research
methods; the importance of accurate data in research; the
application of scientific data to real life.
Water Quality Sampling
Techniques Student will collect samples of water
from two simulated seas. They will use this water to test
salinity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia, and
nitrite. The differences in the parameters from each sea will be
discussed. If time allows, students will also learn to use
a secchi disk to measure water clarity and the Niskin bottle to
retrieve water samples at depth in the lagoon. On each
subsequent field trip to various sites around Key Largo, a team
of students will test each of these parameters at the snorkel
site. Data will be compiled at MarineLab.
Reef Invertebrates
Students will participate in a slide-based discussion of the
characteristics of the major invertebrate phyla.
Representatives of each phylum will be discussed. The
slide program is typically followed by a reef snorkeling trip to
reinforce phylum concepts. Concepts to be emphasized include:
phylum classification system; used of coloration including
advertising, mimicry, warning, and camouflage; defense
strategies; and symbiotic relationships on the reef.
Reef Fish Population
Study Slides will be used to familiarize students
with commonly seen reef fish, emphasizing family shapes and
characteristics. Students will then collect data on fish
population abundance at a coral reef habitat. This data
will be submitted to the Reef Environmental Education Foundation
(REEF) to be added to their on-going fish population study/
Concepts to be emphasized include: the importance of accurate
data in research; underwater data collection techniques; using
family shapes and characteristics as identification cues; the
validity of volunteers contributing data to scientific research.
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