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Aquatic Ecology 362-405 – Fall 2004
Lecture: TR 1 p.m. MAC 223
Lab: Tuesdays or Thursday 2:00-5:00 p.m. (+ one weekend field trip) LS 214
Instructor: Tara Reed
Email – reedt@uwgb.edu
Office – LS 415
Phone 465-2284
Required texts:
Dodson, S. 2005. Introduction to Limnology
Hilsenhoff, W. L. 1995. Aquatic Insects of Wisconsin. University of WisconsinMadison Extension Publication G3648.
Also required:
All-weather ”Rite in Rain” field notebook (available at the bookstore).
Highly recommended:
An Introductory Statistics book.
An Excel handbook (or handbook for whatever spreadsheet software you use).
Voshell, J. R. Jr. 2002. A Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North
America. McDonald and Woodward.
Expectations:
This course should serve both as an introduction to freshwater systems
and as a place to apply the ecology you’ve learned in other courses. We’ll spend
many of the labs outside – even into November, so be prepared for the weather.
For every outdoor lab you’ll need either waders (preferred) or waterproof boots
and warm clothes. Aquatic Ecologists are a hearty bunch so – if a field trip is
planned, assume we’re going out. There’s also one required weekend field trip
September 11-12.
Grading:
Points
Mid-terms…………. 30
Final …………….. 20
4 lab reports ………..36
Lab practical …………5
Final lab poster………5
Lab attendance………4
100
Exams:
There will be three exams (2 mid-terms and a final). For all exams you will
be responsible for the assigned reading as well as the lecture material.
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Lab:
Reports: For the lab you'll work in groups of 4-5. The lab work consists of four
different experiments and comparative analyses using field data. You will be
graded on 4 short directed lab write-ups, due in class Friday of the week after the
experiment/comparison is finished. While you will collect the data as a group,
each member of the group will be responsible for their own individual write-up
and data analysis of the lab – if your work looks collaborative (i.e. all the graphs
within a particular group are identical) I will split the points you earned on that
report between the collaborators. Directions for lab write-ups are in your lab
manual.
Practical: We will have one short practical exam near the end of lab to test your
taxonomic skills.
Posters: Groups will collarobate on a poster that presents data from one of our
experiments. These posters will be modeled after those presented at scientific
meetings. We’ll have a poster session during one of the final classes. During
this session you’ll be asked to explain your results to others using your poster as
a visual aid. Posters will be graded on scientific merit, oral presentation and
aesthetics.
Problem sets: I will periodically give you problem sets and post the answers
outside my door. The problem sets are examples of the kinds of mathematical
problems you will encounter on the tests and are designed to give you a chance
to practice. In general the test will include some of these kinds of problems along
with short answer questions and an essay or two testing your knowledge of
reading and lecture material. In lecture we will only be able to cover some of the
material but you are responsible for all the readings.
Date
9/2
9/7
9/9
9/14
9/16
9/21
9/23
9/28
9/30
10/5
10/7
10/12
10/14
10/18
Subject
What is Aquatic Ecology
History and current practice
Stratification
Light
Currents
Single celled organisms
Plankton
Macroinvertebrates
Fish
More fish
Test 1
Population dynamics
Life history
Community interactions
Readings
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
3
10/21
10/26
10/28
11/2
11/4
11/9
11/11
11/16
11/18
11/23
11/30
12/2
12/7
12/9
12/14
Community structure
Community dynamics
Trophic cascades
Alternate stable states
Test 2
Primary production
Macrophytes
Physiological Ecology
Chemical cycling
Stoiciometry/ toxins
Streams –currents
Streams – benthos
Stream/Lake order
Lake restoration / Adaptive
management
Poster session
Final – 12/16
10:30 am
Chapter 8
Carpenter et al. 1995
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Lab syllabus - dates in bold indicate labs where there will be some field
component (dress accordingly). For each lab two dates are given, one for
Tuesday and the other for Thursday.
Date
Exercise
9/7-9
Practice on lakes (Trout 9/11-12)
9/14-16
Green Bay
9/21-23
Sample processing
9/28-30
Sample processing – data analysis
Colonization drop off begins for
Tuesday lab on Thursday 9/26
Thursday lab on Saturday 9/28
Week of 10/5-7
Pick up colonization substrates,
and start sample processing
10/12-14
Sample processing and data analysis
10/18–21
Zebra mussel lab
10/26-28
Sample processing and data analysis
11/2-4
Stream sampling
11/9-11
Stream sampling
11/16-18
Sample processing
11/30-12/2
Sample processing
12/7-9
Sample processing and data analysis