Biology 3505 Fall 2013
Biology 3505a
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
Fall 2013
Course Outline
This course surveys aquatic organisms that live in inland water aquatic habitats, such as
streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands, both permanent and temporary. We begin
with Prokaryotes, and examine a few of the groups that play a prominent role in material
cycling, including the Cyanobacteria and the various groups of sulfur, nitrogen and iron
bacteria. We then introduce the algae (diatoms, green algae, chrysophytes and
dinoflagellates) that play important roles as primary producers in the plankton and the
benthic community as well. Other primary producers that we examine in the course
include emergent, floating leaved and submerged aquatic plants that make up the plant
communities of the littoral zone in lakes and rivers. Invertebrate animal groups that we
examine range from freshwater sponges and bryozoans, rotifers, oligochaetes, leeches,
crustaceans, and the aquatic insects (mayflies, stoneflies, hemipterans, dragonflies,
caddisflies, beetles and a wide range of dipteran larvae). We end the course with a
survey of fishes with special interest in those families that occur in Canada and play an
important role in our food webs and as fisheries resources, and indeed sometimes as
pests. Students will obtain “hands on” experience collecting and identifying aquatic
organisms, and for this some taxonomy is necessary; however, the overall emphasis is
much more on functional aspects of biology than on systematics. Although some
phylogenetic issues relating to aquatic organisms are dealt with, the main objective is to
familiarize students with adaptations for life in freshwater habitats and the diverse range
of life cycles that aquatic organisms exhibit. In addition the course will address important
issues in the conservation of aquatic biodiversity, the management of freshwaters and
their biota, and the biogeography of aquatic organisms.
Lecture:
Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 12:00 to 12:50 PM, Room L1060
Lecturer:
Dr. Joseph B. Rasmussen
WE1050, 382-7182, email:
joseph.rasmussen@uleth.ca
Office Hours: by appointment
Website:
Lecture Power Points will be posted on the Course web page.
Text:
No text
Lecture
Lecture Power Points will be posted on the Biol 3505a web page.
General info: General announcements will be made in class or will be sent by email to
the class list. If you do not use the U of L assigned email address, arrange
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Biology 3505 Fall 2013
for email sent to the @uleth.ca address to be forwarded to the address you
do use. You can arrange to forward mail by going to:
http://www.uleth.ca/it/desktop/account.htm
Laboratory:
Lab instructor: Preston Lennox,
Office WE1052, Email: Preston.Lennox@uleth.ca
Labs are scheduled for Wednesday PM (13:00-15:50) WE2092.
Lab Manual: There is no lab manual per se, but identification books will
be available in the lab and on line.
Laboratory Handouts will be posted on the class website on the
Monday preceeding each lab.
Grade Composition:
Lecture 60%, Lab 40%
EXAMS
LECTURE exams will be written in class
Lecture Exam #1 Week of Oct. 21 30%
Lecture Exam #2 Final lecture
30%
60%
Lectures 1-15
Lectures 16-37
LABORATORY: A laboratory exam (station to station) will be given in the final lab
period counting 30%, and the final 10% will be awarded for laboratory
participation .
Lecture Outline:
Lectures 1-3: Prokaryotes including Cyanobacteria
Lectures 4-6: Algae (diatoms, green algae, chrysophytes and dinoflagellates)
Lectures 7-9: Aquatic macrophytes (emergent, floating leaved, submerged)
Lectures 10-11: Freshwater sponges and Bryozoa
Lectures 12-13: Hydrazoans, rotifers and nematodes
Lectures 14-15: Leeches and oligochaetes (Tubificidae and Naididae)
Lectures 16-17: Crustacean Zooplankton (Cladocera and Copepoda)
Lectures 18-19: Benthic Crustacea (Ostracoda, Amphipoda, Decapoda)
Lectures 20-21: Aquatic Insects I: Hemiptera, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Odonata
Lecture 22: Aquatic Insects II: Trichoptera, Coleoptera,
Lecture 23: Aquatic Insects III: Aquatic Diptera (Chaoboridae, Culicidae, Simuliidae)
Lecture 24: Aquatic Insects IV: Tipulidae and Chironomidae
Lecture 25: The lampreys, sturgeons, goldeye and eels
Lecture 26: The minnows, suckers and catfish
Lecture 27: Pike, sticklebacks and mudminnows
Lecture 28: Perch, trout-perch, sculpins and cods
Lecture 29: Whitefish
Lectures 30-33: Salmonids
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Biology 3505 Fall 2013
Laboratory Exercises
I—Identification of Algae and Aquatic Macrophytes (Sept 18, 25)
II— Identification of Aquatic Invertebrates—Sponges, Bryozoa, Leeches, Oligochaetes (Oct 2, Oct 9)
III— Identification of Aquatic Invertebrates—Crustacea and Insects (Oct 16, 23)
IV— Identification of Aquatic Invertebrates—Insects (Oct 30, Nov 3)
V—Identification of Fishes (Nov 10).
Lab Exam: Nov. 27
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