Biol 366
Autumn 2008
Course Information
Freshwater Ecology
Biol 366
Autumn 2008
Instructor: Winsor Lowe
E-mail:
Phone:
Office:
Office Hours:
TA: Adam Sepulveda
E-mail: adam.sepulveda@umontana.edu
Office: Health Sciences 311
Office Hours: By arrangement
winsor.lowe@umontana.edu
(406) 243-4375
Health Sciences 410
Tuesday 3 - 5 pm
Course Content:
This course will focus on interactions among freshwater species and between these species and their
aquatic environments. Lectures and readings provide the scientific background necessary for understanding
the physical, chemical, and biological dynamics of freshwater habitats. Emphasis is placed on basic
mechanisms controlling the distribution and abundance of freshwater species, and on application of
fundamental concepts to problems in conservation and management of aquatic systems. The laboratory and
field work are designed to acquaint students with the freshwater systems of Montana, and with methods for
studying these systems.
Rooms and Times:
Lecture: Health Sciences 207, Tuesday and Thursday, 11:10 am - 12:30 pm
Lab: Health Sciences 102, Wednesday and Thursday, 1:10 - 5:00 pm
Website:
http://dbs.umt.edu/courses/biol366/default.php
User name : dbssrv6\biol366
Password : mayfly
Grading:
30% = Exams (2 of 3 @ 15% each), cumulative, including lab material
- The lowest non-final exam grade will be dropped
- If you miss an exam, that counts as the lowest grade
25% = Final Exam (Friday, December 12, 10 am - 12 pm, HS207), cumulative, including lab
25% = Lab assignments (165 points)*
- Weekly assignments (10 - 15 points each)
The lowest grade will be dropped
If you do not hand in an assignment, that counts as the lowest grade
- Independent Research Project (75 points)
20% = Review Paper*
3% = Prospectus: 200 - 300 words with 3+ citations (due September 30)
5% = Outline: 800 - 1000 words with 10+ citations (due October 23)
12% = Paper: 1500 - 2000 words with 20+ citations (due November 25)
* All written assignments will be double-spaced, in 12-point font.
Text: Dodson, S.I. 2005. Introduction to Limnology. McGraw-Hill, NY.
Additional Readings: On course website
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Biol 366
Course Information
Autumn 2008
Grading Policy:
Late assignments will be penalized 10% per day to a maximum of 50%. Emailed assignments will not be
accepted, unless previously discussed with Adam (for lab assignments) or me. Late exams will not be
given except under extraordinary circumstances discussed with me in person prior to the exam. I
encourage students with disabilities of any kind to discuss appropriate accommodations with me.
Field Trips:
These will include trips to streams, rivers, and ponds surrounding Missoula, as well as a weekend trip to the
Lochsa River. Please dress for these trips assuming that you will get wet, cold, and sun burned.
Drops, Adds, Other Academic Changes, and Pass/Fail Policies:
The University’s Academic Policies and Procedures are described at
http://www.umt.edu/catalog/policy_procedure.htm.
See http://cyberbear.umt.edu/instructions/calendar_autumn_2008.htm for important dates. Students should
specifically note that after October 7 any academic changes generally will not be approved. Changes after
October 7 may be requested by petition, but the petition MUST be accompanied by documentation of
extenuating circumstances (i.e., requests to drop a course or change the grade basis to benefit a student's
grade point average will not be approved).
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Biol 366
Lecture Schedule
Autumn 2008
Date
Topic
Readings, Assignments, etc.
Aug. 26
Course introduction and a short
history of freshwater science
• Dodson, Chapter 1
Aug. 28
Classifications and origins of
freshwater systems
• Dodson, Chapter 11
• Meyer et al. (2003) - Website
Sept. 2
Properties and behavior of H2O I:
The specifics
• Dodson, Chapter 2: 29-33 (to 'Dissociation of pH'), 38-39
(to 'Vertical Stratification')
Sept. 4
Properties and behavior of H2O II:
The larger patterns
• Dodson, Chapter 2: 39-50 (to 'Water Movements')
Sept. 9
Water movement I: Lakes
Term paper assignment
• Dodson, Chapter 2: 50-56
Sept. 11
Water movement II: Streams
• Allan, Chapter 1, Chapter 3: 45-69 - Website
• Exam review
Sept. 15
***Last day to drop / add courses on CyperBear. Drop/Adds from Sept. 16 to Oct. 6 require instructor's
signature, result in "W" on transcript, and are costly.***
Sept. 16
Exam 1: Materials up to and including Sept. 11
Sept. 18
Primary production I
• Dodson, Chapter 9
• Allan, Chapter 4 - Website
Sept. 23
Primary production II
• None
Sept. 25
Chemical cycles I: Nitrogen
• Dodson, Chapter 10, 239-259
• Driscoll et al. (2003) - Website
Sept. 30
Chemical cycles II: Phosphorous
• Review Paper Prospectus Due
Oct. 2
Chemical cycles III: pH, Alkalinity,
and Carbon
• Dodson, Chapter 10, 230-239
• Kalff, Chapter 14 - Website
Oct. 6
Oct. 7
Oct. 9
***Last day to drop/add with instructor's signature.***
Chemical cycles IV: more pH,
Alkalinity, and Carbon
• Exam review
Exam 2: Materials up to and including Oct. 7
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Biol 366
Lecture Schedule
Date
Topic
Readings, Assignments, etc.
Oct. 14
Zooplankton I
• Dodson, Chapter 3
Oct. 16
Zooplankton II
• None
Oct. 21
Freshwater macroinvertebrates I:
Introduction and lentic species
• Dodson, Chapter 4
Oct. 23
Freshwater macroinvertebrates II:
Lotic species
• Wetzel, Chapter 22, 695-713 - Website
• Review Paper Outline Due
Oct. 28
Freshwater macroinvertebrates III:
More lotic species
• Exam review
Oct. 30
Exam 3: Materials up to and including Oct. 28
Nov. 4
Election Day
Nov. 6
Amphibians I: Caecilians and Frogs
Nov. 11
• Dodson, Chapter 5
Veterans Day
Nov. 13
Amphibians II: Salamanders
• Whiles et al. (2006) - Website
Nov. 18
Populations I: Life history, survival,
and reproduction
• Dodson, Chapter 6
Nov. 20
Populations II: Dispersal
• Allan, Chapter 10 - Website
• Lowe et al. (2006) - Website
Nov. 25
Communities I: Streams
• Dodson, Chapter 7
• Review Paper Due
Nov. 27
Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 2
Communities II: Lakes
• Dodson, Chapter 8
Dec. 4
Energy flows and terrestrial-aquatic
linkages
• Baxter et al. (2005) - Website
Dec. 12
Final Exam, 10 am - 12 pm, HS207
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Autumn 2008
Biol 366
Autumn 2008
Lab Schedule
Date
Topic
Location
Aug. 27/28
Computer Excel Lab
Sept. 3/4
Frenchtown Pond
– Thermoclines, Dissolved Oxygen
Sept. 10/11
Health Science
HS102
– Manipulating thermoclines
– Andy Sih seminar, 4 pm, Sept. 10, UC 3rd floor
Andy Sih summary
5 points
Sept. 17/18
Rattlesnake Creek
– Aquatic Invertebrates
HS102
Diversity Indices, tables and graphs
10 points
Sept. 27
Lochsa River
– Idaho Giant Salamanders
HS102
Stream-order size comparison
10 points
Oct. 1/2
Frenchtown Pond
– Zooplankton
HS102
Read and summarize vert. migration paper
5 points
Oct. 8/9
Zooplankton Analysis
– Count and statistics
HS102
Lab write-up
15 points
Oct 15/16
Grant Creek
– Tailed Frog Demography
HS102
Lab write-up
15 points
Oct. 22/23
Rattlesnake Cr./Clark Fork R.
– Group Project Development
HS102
Introduction of project
5 points
Computer Lab
HS102
Readings, Assignments, etc.
Average, std. deviation, std. error, etc.
10 points
Make graphs + read Andy Sih paper
10 points
– Hypothesis, Predictions, Methods, Possible
Results due at end of class, 5 points
Oct. 29/30
Data Collection
HS102
Nov. 5/6
Data Collection
HS102
Methods, Results, Figures / Tables
10 points
Nov. 12/13
Stream Invertebrates
HS102
Introduction, Conclusion, Literature Cited
10 points
Nov. 19/20
Fish Stomach Dissection
HS102
Schoener Diet Overlap
10 points
Nov. 26/27
No lab
Dec. 3/4
Research Presentation
– PowerPoint, 10 min., 5 min. for questions
15 points
1
Final manuscript due
30 points