Core readings — habitats & energy
Kelp Forest Structure & Light
Estuaries & Nutrient Mixing
Pelagic Food Webs 101
Back to Course
Exploring Marine Ecosystems
Unit 1: Ocean systems & scale
Extensions & case studies
Seamount Biodiversity Brief
MPA Zoning & Stakeholder Tradeoffs
Unit 2: Ocean Ecosystems and Biodiversity
Readings support the biodiversity survey and species-account lab. Assign packs before students collect field notes.
Habitat layers & field guides
Pelagic vs. benthic zones (primer)
Species account template
Trophic webs reading set
Unit 3: Marine Conservation Techniques
Policy briefs, MPA design tradeoffs, and stakeholder perspectives. Use these before the debate section.
Conservation toolkit
MPA zoning primer
Bycatch & gear readings
Unit 4: Restoration and Conservation Efforts
Case studies on coral gardening, outplanting, and monitoring design. Pair with the restoration timeline activity.
Restoration in practice
Fragmentation & grow-out methods
Monitoring metrics reader
Unit 5: Marine Habitats and Species Diversity
Deep reef, mangrove, and seagrass modules. Assign before the habitat comparison worksheet.
Habitat deep dives
Mesophotic reefs overview
Mangrove-seagrass connectivity
Unit 6: Synthesis and portfolio
Capstone readings tie themes together. Students compare two regions and cite three course sources.
Portfolio prompts
Regional comparison brief
Evidence checklist (rubric-aligned)