Aims, contents and method of the course: In this practical course at the Marine Station in Villefranche / Cote d’Azur, we will address questions of developmental biology of marine invertebrates available at the station (cnidarians, polychaetes, sea urchins, urochordates). The development will be studied by manipulation of key signaling pathways, followed by phenotypic and molecular analysis. In addition, we will benefit from the exceptional fauna in the plancton around Villefranche and we will examine samples of plancton and determine larvae and species of various animal groups. Teaching is in English, since most instructors are not German speaking. As prerequisite, the student should have accomplished the VO “Einführung in die Entwicklung der Tiere” or the VO “Molecular developmental biology” in the bachelor of Zoology or Molecular Biology tracks. The course is restricted to 10 students.
Assessment and permitted materials: The student will get an understanding of the development of several marine model species (sea urchin, ascidians, hydrozoans) and do experiments investigating the regulation of developmental processes and of body plans. They aquire an understanding of the biodiversity of planctonic life.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria: The student will give a seminar presentation about a selected topic in Vienna (25%). The performance of the student during the course is evaluated (25%). The student will write up a report (50%).
Examination topics: The seminar must give a proper overview on the given topic in a 10-20 min oral presentation. The report should have the format of a scientific paper and be written in English.
Reading list: The student is expected to read the relevant literature related to the topic of the course experiments. A minimal list will be provided at the beginning of the course.
Details and registration: https://ufind.univie.ac.at/en/course.html?lv=300145&semester=2020S