For students, faculty, personnel from federal and state agencies, museums, environmental organizations and consulting firms
Marine Benthic Macroinvertebrates, Communities, and Habitats August 28 - Sept 3 Instructors: Stephen Hale and Sheldon Pratt Location: Eagle Hill Institute, Steuben, Me The diverse marine habitats of downeast Maine hold a rich array of boreal benthic invertebrates that contribute to the high productivity of the region. This seminar provides an introduction to the natural history and ecology of the macroinvertebrates. Primary topics are benthic communities and habitats, taxonomy, biogeography, ecological health, and ecosystem services. Field trips by rubber boots to intertidal mudflats and by small boat to subtidal soft-bottom habitats provide samples for identification and quantification. Labs provide opportunities to key out common benthic invertebrates. Computer software used to analyze community data is introduced, using a nearshore Gulf of Maine data set. Participants will learn the skills needed to continue further studies of benthic invertebrate communities. This seminar is intended for conservation biologists, marine researchers, environmental consultants, teachers, natural historians, and others curious about what lives down there on the bottom and how they contribute to marine ecosystems. (boat fee $75) Stephen Hale ([email protected]) is a marine benthic ecologist at the Atlantic Ecology Division laboratory of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Narragansett, Rhode Island. His current research includes measuring the effects of eutrophication and hypoxia on benthic communities, studying benthic species range shifts along the U.S. Atlantic coast in response to climate change, developing ecological indicators of ecosystem health, and quantifying ecosystem services. Sheldon Pratt is a Marine Research Associate at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography with extensive experience studying the taxonomy, community structure, and natural history of marine benthic invertebrates along the New England coast. For general information, go to http://eaglehill.us/programs/nhs/natural-history-seminars.shtml For course calendar and course descriptions, go to http://www.eaglehill.us/programs/nhs/nhs-calendar.shtml For application information and cost breakdown, go to http://www.eaglehill.us/programs/general/application-info.shtml For more information, contact [email protected], 207-546-2821 x 1
