2008 Courses
Shrimp Taxonomy (Caridea, Dendrobranchiata and Stenopodidea)
| Dates: | August 4 - 16, 2008 | ||||||
| Location: | Bocas Research Station, Bocas del Toro, Panamá | ||||||
| Registration Fee: | $500
(Includes room and board, STRI registration, etc) (Fellowships are available). |
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| Instructors: |
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| Organizer: | Dr. Rachel Collin
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| Download: | Flier [in PDF Format - 7 Mb] |
Application Procedure
This course is directed towards graduate students and advance Licenciado candidates and will be conducted in English. Please e-mail your CV, 1 letter of recommendation, and a 1-2 page statement explaining your background and reasons for taking the course, to Rebecca Rissanen at RissanenJ@si.edu or at rebecca.rissanen@gmail.com in case you don't get a reply, before March 15, 2008. Limit 12 students.
Course Description
The course is aimed at graduate students, post-docs, or professionals who are interested in learning and applying knowledge about the diversity and ecology of one the most abundant and colourful inhabitants of coral reefs. The students participating in this course will:
- Learn to identify common shrimps (Caridea, Dendrobranchiata and Stenopodidea) from the mangroves and shallow coral reefs of the Bocas del Toro region, many of which occur in the wider Caribbean region
- Learn general biological and ecological characteristics of the group.
- Gain hands-on ecological and taxonomic experience with tropical marine shrimp.
- Learn ecological survey and sampling techniques, as well as the vital components of modern taxonomy (photography, DNA extraction).
This course seeks to give the participant the necessary tools to continue studies on the taxonomy and /or ecology of shrimps. The course will last 12 days, and is primarily targeted at taxonomic training, including the characteristics and identification of the various shrimp families and genera at Bocas del Toro, many of which will be identified to species. The main focus will be on modern taxonomy, using field collecting, morphological work, photography and genetic relationships. Other topics to be covered are current classification, the phylogenetic framework of Decapoda, ecology, as well as lectures on aquaculture, commercial fishing and the aquarium trade. Also included will be an independent project either of the participants choice or in consultation with the instructors, with students presenting their work on the final day. Daily activities will include: morning and afternoon lectures, a field trip, lab work, and discussion sections or talks.