UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AIKEN
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY AND GEOLOGY
ICHTHYOLOGY
(Biology of Fishes)
ABIO 336 (4 credit hours)
Spring 2015
Course Policies, Procedures, and Syllabus
Tues 1:40-5:45
Thur: 4:30-5:45
Meeting Place:
SBDG 104
Instructor: Dr. Virginia Shervette
Email, Phone, and Office Location:
virginias@usca.edu, 803.641.3605, SBDG 219A
TEXTBOOK and LAB MATERIALS
Required Text: Fishes: An Inroduction to Ichthyology by Moyle and Cech
Lab manual: TBA in Lab
LAB SUPPLIES: Dissection kit. Surgical gloves are recommended for use with handling preserved specimens. Each
student must provide his/her own eye. Old clothes in case you get dirty. Tennis shoes or boots for outside work.
COURSE OBJECTIVES and LEARNING OUTCOMES
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An integrated approach to fish biology from a physiological and ecological viewpoint. Our
class will build on a general background of fish diversity and environmental adaptations while discussing anatomy,
physiology, ecology, behavior, and stress. We will also review the fundamentals of fish design and physiological
adaptation to environment that contributes to their remarkable success.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
• Increase your familiarity with evolutionary history and taxonomic diversity of fishes
• Improve your understanding of the basic physiological and behavioral adaptations that fishes use to carry
out their life cycle
• Enhance your skills at collecting and identifying local fish species
• Expose you to some of the issues surrounding the conservation of fish biodiversity in the environment.
• Introduce you to some of the quantitative techniques used in describing fish biology, and reinforce
concepts of experimental design and hypothesis testing
STUDENT COMPETENCY STATEMENTS: By the end of this course the student will have demonstrated the ability
to:
* Discuss biological principles and topics of historical and current interest and importance relating to fishes.
* Describe the biological processes that operate at the multicellular levels to include histological, organismal,
population, community and ecosystem levels of organization as this relates to fishes.
* Apply theoretical concepts in the laboratory by following a written procedure.
METHODS OF PRESENTATION: This course will consist of lectures by the instructors, lecture videos, classroom
discussion, and group and individual laboratory exercises. The instructors will utilize appropriate modes of visual aids
and laboratory equipment.
METHODS OF EVALUATION: Achievement of course objectives will be evaluated by lecture exams, laboratory
reports, notebooks, quizzes and exams, and a final comprehensive exam.
COURSE GRADING and EXAMS
Grades in the course will be determined as follows:
10% - Pop Quizzes on Reading Materials
10% - Research Paper on a current fish topic
15% - Lab notebooks (due last day of class)
60% - Lecture and Lab Quizzes
5% - Participation
See the course schedule below for dates of lecture exams, lab exams and presentation.
ATTENDANCE and PARTICIPATION
1. This is a survey course and covers a great deal of material. The text is good and can help explain lecture material
you may not fully understand. I will not cover all of the text in class, but you will understand lectures better if
you read the assigned text sections before you come to class, and you will do better on tests if you keep up with
the reading. In addition, I will provide information in lecture that will supplement your text. You will be
expected to know this additional material for exams, so it is imperative that you attend lectures to do well in this
class.
2. The lab is heavily scheduled and you will be expected to stay for the entire period.
3. You will be expected to have read all laboratory exercises and the accompanying text references before attending
labs.
4. No make-up exams will be given so do not miss any exams.
5. Students are expected to attend lectures and labs. Pop quizzes will be given periodically to encourage attendance.
In addition, part of your final grade will come from class participation. I will post a rubric for how lecture and lab
participation will be assessed. Keep in mind that one of the easiest ways to assign an “objective” grade for
“participation” is to consider how often you come to class…..
6. You are strongly encouraged to make appointments with your instructor if you are having problems in the course.
You may make an appointment or drop in if I am not busy with another student.
7. If you have a physical, psychological, and/or learning disability which might affect your performance in this
class, please contact the Office of Disability Services, 134 B&E, (803) 643-6816, as soon as possible. The
Disabilities Services Office will determine appropriate accommodations based on documentation.
HONOR CODE AND CHEATING
HONOR CODE: In our hearts we know that cheating is wrong. It is the responsibility of every student at the
University of South Carolina Aiken to adhere steadfastly to truthfulness and to avoid dishonesty, fraud, or deceit of any
type in connection with any academic program. Any student who violates this Honor Code or who knowingly assists
another to violate this Honor Code shall be subject to discipline.
By signing your name to an assignment, quiz, or test you are acknowledging that you will adhere to The Honor Code at
USCA. This class is designed to benefit you, the student. Please do not allow yourself to succumb to any form of
cheating. Suspicion of cheating will be reported automatically to Academic Integrity. Cheating on an Exam will result in
an F in the course.
A short note about PLAGIARISM (from Dr. Dyer)
Any and all work turned in for credit is assumed to be your work and the product of your brain and your brain alone.
Every word and every sentence is your work. Work can be considered plagiarism even if it is not exact copying. My
advice is “don’t make me look” because when I get suspicious enough to look, I usually find. For your information, it is
plagiarism….
*if you fail to cite a reference after giving a factual statement;
*if you fail to use quotation marks (and I do not allow quoting in science papers);
*if you turn in work with your name on it that someone else has produced;
*if you rephrase someone else’s work or merely change a few words;
*if you have the same order and form of sentences as the source material or someone else’s work;
*if you consistently mis-cite or mis-use cites in a way that suggests intentional avoidance of
detection;
*if you and a lab partner work together and turn in work that is substantially the same.
ALSO,
If a “draft” of a paper has any of the above problems, it is still plagiarism.
If I cannot tell who in a lab group produced a piece of work, no credit will be assigned to anyone in the lab group. (This
does not include “group” reports.)
If you give your work to someone else and they turn it in, I have the option of including you in the plagiarism charge
because you supported it.
If the references given are not accessible to the instructor, no credit will be given. Therefore, if you use obscure or
unusual references, it is your responsibility to turn in a copy with the assignment or make it available to me.
If you pay someone else to write or prepare an assignment for you, that’s another form of academic dishonesty.
Be aware that what was allowed in high school does not necessarily apply at USCA. If there is anything about the above
statements that are not clear, don’t wait until an assignment is due to find out more.
Many students believe that having no more than three consecutive words from an original source will fool the electronic
programs that detect plagiarism. I don’t use those programs; I read the papers that are given in the reference list and
compare them to the student’s work. If I find any of the problems listed above, there will be no first warning. There is no
latitude given because there is no excuse for plagiarism.
Therefore, if I find any work that is too similar to other work, either in the class or out of the class, please understand that
I have no options but to follow the rules as outlined in the USCA Faculty Manual. The student(s) involved will be
summoned to my office, the situation will be explained. There will be no options for “redoing” the work. A zero will be
given to the assignment, and a formal letters will be sent to the student, the student’s department chair, and to the
Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs to document the situation. As with all academic issues, there is an
avenue for appeal (detailed in the USCA Student Handbook), but it is not through me.
Date
13 Jan Tues
Schedule
Topic
Introduction to the Class; Ch 1: Introduction
Chapter
1
15 Jan Thurs
Ch 2: Form and Movement
2
20 Jan Tues
Ch 3 Respiration and Ch 7 Feeding; Lab on Fish Anatomy
3,7
22 Jan Thurs
Ch 9
9
27 Jan Tues
Ch 8 Growth; Lab on Growth in Fishes
8
29 Jan Thurs
No class: Take-Home Quiz Due 1 Feb 11:59 pm
3 Feb Tues
Ch 10 Sensory and Perception; FishBase Lab
10
5 Feb Thurs
Ch 11 Behavior
11
10 Feb Tues
Ch 12 Systematics; Lab on Fish Identification
12
12 Feb Thurs
Ch 13 Evolution; Quiz Ch 10-13 Due 15 Feb 11:59 pm
13
17 Feb Tues
Trip to the Zoo
19 Feb Thurs
No Class – work on zoo write-up
24 Feb Tues
Ch 14-16 Lecture and Lab
14-16
26 Feb Thurs
Ch 17-19 Lecture and Lab
17-19
3 Mar Tues
Ch 20-22 Lecture and Lab
20-22
5 Mar Thurs
Quiz Fish Identification (Ch14-22)
10 Mar Tues
Spring Break
12 Mar Thurs
Spring Break
17 Mar Tues
Ch 23-24 Lecture and Lab
23, 24
19 Mar Thurs
Ch 25
25
24 Mar Tues
Ch 27-28; Field Collections
27, 28
26 Mar Thurs
Ch 29
29
31 Mar Tues
Ch 30; More local Fieldwork
30
2 Apr Thurs
Local Fish ID; Quiz Chs 23-25, 27-30 due 5 Apr 11:59 pm
7 Apr Tues
Ch 26; Lab on Marine Fish
9 Apr Thurs
Ch 31-32
14 Apr Tues
Ch 33-34: More marine Fish
16 Apr Thurs
Catch-up Day
21 Apr Tues
Ch 37; Fisheries Lab
23 Apr Thurs
5 May Tues
2 pm
Lab Practical
Final Quiz: Chs 26, 33-34, 37
26
33, 34
37
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF READING THE SYLLABUS
In your natural handwriting copy out the following statement in the space provided below:
I have read the BIO 336 syllabus and understand the policies on lecture, lab, grading, exams,
attendance, quizzes, honor code, and cheating. I have also read and understand the additional
course information. While physically attending this class, I will act in a manner that is
respectful to me, other students, the professor, and guest speakers.
Write out statement below:
Signature: _________________________________
Name printed:_______________________________
Date: ______________________
*You will not receive credit for this course until you have completed and turned in this acknowledgement.