I took EEB 109 with this professor in Fall 2014. I have NO IDEA what these other reviews are talking about because this man is one of my favorite professors at UCLA. Yes his tests were hard, but if you really study the material they are entirely doable, and the difficulty is not atypical of biology classes here. The grading system is very clear at the beginning of the class and is what is used by the other marine bio professor as well, so no plus/minuses, but the TAs can be lenient if you show effort. The articles you have to read for discussion aren't very long, and the quizzes are straightforward if you've read. The first midterm was hard, but he made the second midterm and final much clearer and more straightforward and offered 3% extra credit total for your grade.

Unlike other biology classes, he doesn't make you answer a bunch of useless questions about the names of fish species and such, although you will have to know the general characteristics of a few types of plankton, for example. he takes the time to get to know his students if you make an effort, and at the end of the class the grade distribution was more forgiving than it has been for many other bio classes (over 25% A).