Biology and Management of Fishes
Fall 2015
Instructor: Lisa Eby, BRL 103, email: lisa.eby@umontana.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 10-11:30am or by appointment
T.A.: Jeff Strait, jeffrey.strait@umontana.edu; Tues 9:30-10:30AM or by appointment
**Please plan for a response within 24 hours
Text: Moyle and Cech, Fishes: An Introduction to Ichthyology. Fifth Edition.
Other useful text: (1) Holton, C.J. and H.E. Johnson.2003. Field Guide to Montana Fishes. 3rd Edition.
Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Helena, MT. or online at http://fieldguide.mt.gov/
Class Resources: We will be using Moodle for class (BIOO 340.01). Go there for readings, class data
sets, assignments, and announcements.
Readings: See syllabus for the reading schedule. Read chapters and papers for examples, applications,
generalizations, and principles. Questions based on lecture and reading material will appear on the
midterms and final exam.
Objectives of class: This class explores the biology of fishes, the most diverse group of vertebrates. The
areas treated include morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations of fishes to their aquatic
environments, as well as aspects of population, community, and applied ecology. We will be discussing
both freshwater and marine fishes with an emphasis placed on freshwater fishes native to Montana.
Grading:
Midterm I
Midterm II
Final (Comprehensive)
Presentation & class participation
Lab grade (quizzes & lab assignments)
20%
20%
20%
10%
30%
Presentations: Presentations will be done by a group of students working together. There will be
approximately three students per group. For the presentation, students will (1) identify a fisheries
management issue, (2) describe the issue, (3) describe the underlying fish biology and ecology involved
in the problem, and (3) address how our understanding of fish biology may help derive a solution. You
must choose a case study that has not been used in class. Essentially, I want students to critically evaluate
the role of biology and ecology in a particular conservation and management problem. This assignment
will allow students to practice researching what is known about an issue and species, applying knowledge
to novel situations, and public speaking. A statement of group membership and a proposed topic is due
by October 15th, a list of scientific references is due by November 17th, and the final presentations will
be the last two weeks of classes. If you are struggling with a topic, please come see me during office
hours. I expect that I will meet with each group briefly during the semester. The presentation must be a
formal Powerpoint presentation with a time limit of 15 minutes. In addition to a grade of the final
product, each group member will be grading the other group member’s contribution to the project.
Class Policy: Some of the field and lab projects will be done by teams of students so the resulting data
are team or class property. Students are free to discuss results, but all assignments must be prepared
individually. All written material, calculations and graphs to be handed in must be your own work
(answers must be in your own words). All assignments must be handed in on time; penalties will be 5%
of grade each day late unless other arrangements have been made.
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Missing class: If you need to miss a class, please get notes from another student, perform the readings,
review the notes and then come into my office hours with questions regarding the material. If you need to
miss a lab, please request to come to the other lab section that week. Permission needs to be granted
before the lab period. Depending on transportation and material constraints this may or may not be
possible.
The class final is Monday December 14th from 10:10-12:10. NO EARLY EXAMS WILL BE
GIVEN!
All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by
the course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University. All students need to be familiar
with the Student Conduct Code. If students are caught cheating or plagiarizing on an assignment, they
will get a zero for the assignment. If students are caught cheating on more than one assignment or on an
exam, they will fail the course.
Date
Lecture Topic and Readings
9/1 – 9/3
Diversity of aquatic environments and fishes & Locomotion
Readings: Moyle and Cech Chapters 1 and 2 (pages 1-35) focus on sections 1.1& 1.2;
Chapter 2 section 2.7-2.9
Wolter, C. and R. Arlinghaus. 2003. Navigation impacts on freshwater fish assemblages:
the ecological relevance of swimming performance. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries
13:63-89.
9/8 – 9/10
Respiration and Circulation
Readings: Moyle and Cech Chapters 3 and 4 p. 37-75
TOP FISH CONTEST ENTRIES DUE 9/8: NEATEST ADAPTATION, MOST BIZARRE
FISH, AND BEST NEW DISCOVERY.
9/15 – 9/17
Buoyancy and Thermal regulation
Readings: Moyle and Cech Chapter 5 page 77-87
Selong, et al. 2001. Effect of temperature on growth and survival of bull trout, with
application of an improved method for determining thermal tolerances in fishes.
Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 130: 1026-1037.
9/22 – 9/24
Osmotic regulation, Feeding, and Energetics
Readings: Moyle and Cech Chapter 6 and Chapter 7
Rosenfeld, J.S. and S. Boss. 2001. Fitness consequences of habitat use for juvenile
cutthroat trout: energetic costs and benefits in pools and riffles. Canadian Journal of
Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 58:585-593.
9/29 – 10/1
Energetics and Growth: Exam I (10/1)
Readings: Moyle and Cech Chapter 8
Ruzychki et al. 2003. Effects of an introduced lake trout on native cutthroat trout in
Yellowstone Lake. Ecological Applications 13:23-37.
10/6 – 10/8
Sensory Systems
Readings: Moyle and Cech Chapter 10
Radford et al. 2014 Acoustic communication in a noisy world: can fish compete with
anthropogenic noise? Behavioral Ecology.
10/13 – 10/15
Sensory Systems, Communication, and Behavior
Readings: Moyle and Cech Chapter 11
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Vander Sluijs, I., S.M. Gray, M.C.P. Amorim, I. Barber, U. Candolin, A.P. Hendry, R.
Krahe, and others. Communication in troubled waters: responses of fish communication
systems to changing environments. Evol. Ecol.
Jordan L.K. et al. 2013. Linking sensory biology and fisheries bycatch reduction in
elasmobranch fishes: a review with new directions for research.
TOPIC AND GROUP MEMBERSHIP FOR PRESENTATION DUE
10/20 – 10/22
Reproduction and Mating Systems
Readings: Moyle and Cech Chapter 9
Rowe and Hutchings.2003. Mating systems and the conservation of commercially exploited
marine fish. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 18:567-572.
10/27 – 10/29
Life History Population Ecology
Readings: Moyle and Cech Chapter 9
Heath et al. 2003. Rapid evolution of egg size in captive salmon. Science 299:1738-1740.
Conover et al. 2005. Darwinian fisheries science. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and
Aquatic Sciences 62:730-737.
11/3 – 11/5
Population Ecology
Readings: Berkeley et al. 2004. Fisheries Sustainability via protection of age structure and
spatial distribution of fish populations. Fisheries 29:23-32.
Schindler et al. 2010. Population diversity and the portfolio effect in an exploited species.
Nature 465:609-615.
11/10 – 11/12
Finish Population Ecology and Exam II (11/12)
11/17– 11/19
Species Interactions
Readings: Moyle and Cech Ch 27 455-468
Marcogliese, D.J. 2004. Parasites: small players with crucial roles in the ecological theater.
Ecohealth 1:151-164.
LITERATURE REVIEW FOR PRESENTATION DUE
11/24 – 11/26
Community Ecology and Thanksgiving
Readings: Moyle and Cech Chapter 28
Jackson, D.A. P.R. Peres-Neto, and J.D. Olden. 2001. What controls who is where in
freshwater fish communities- the roles of biotic, abiotic, and spatial factors. Canadian
Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 58:157-170.
12/1– 12/3
Finish Community Ecology and Fish in an Ecosystem Context
Readings: Wipfli and Baxter 2010. Linking Ecosystems, food webs, and subsidies in
salmonid watersheds Fisheries 35:373-387.
12/8 – 12/10
Student Presentations
12/14
Final Exam will cover all lectures, labs, and readings for the entire semester.
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Lab Schedule
Week of:
9/1
Topic
Working with Fisheries Data
(Computer Room – HS 114)
Readings and Assignments
Moodle handouts and videos
Analyzing Fisheries Data Assignment (1)
9/8
Passive Capture Techniques –
Seining and Trap NetsC
(Field Lab)
Passive Capture Techniques Assignment (2)
9/15
Fish Passage Barriers on the
Landscape - FishXing
(Computer Room – HS 114)
Nislow et al. 2011. Variation in local abundance
and species richness of stream fishes in relation to
dispersal barriers: implications for management
and conservation. Freshwater Biology 56:21352144.
Swimming Performance of Species and Barriers on
the Landscape Assignment (3)
9/22
Anatomy and Functional
Morphology of FishesC
Moyle and Cech: Chapter 2.2: p. 15-26
Functional Feeding Morphology Assignment (4)
9/29
Age and GrowthC
(HS 204)
Maceina et al 2007. Current Status and Review of
Freshwater Fish Aging Procedures... Fisheries
32:329-340
Age and Growth Assignment (5)
10/6
Bioenergetics
(Computer Room – HS 114)
Bioenergetics Assignment (6)
10/13
Field lab – SnorkelingC
(Field – meet at footbridge)
Snorkeling Assignment (7)
10/20
Field lab – ElectrofishingC
(Meet at footbridge)
Capture Techniques and Population Estimation
Assignment (8)
10/27
Zoogeography & Fish
Families
(HS 204)
Rahel, F.J. 2000. Homogenization of fish faunas
across the United States. Science 288:854-856
11/3
ID – Fishes of Montana
Lab Quiz 1 – Fish Families
(HS 204)
11/10
ID – Fishes of Montana
Lab Quiz 2 - Fishes of MT
(HS 204)
11/17
ID – Fishes of Montana
Lab Quiz 3 - Fishes of MT
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(HS 204)
11/24
No Lab b/c Holiday
12/1
ID – Fishes of Montana
Lab Quiz 4 - Fishes of MT
(HS 204)
12/8
ID – Fishes of Montana
Lab Quiz 5 - Fishes of MT
(HS 204)
No Lab b/c Holiday
Finish species ID and synthesize distribution and
relationship among species
Field Labs: We will meet at 1:10 for the field labs. On 9/8 we will be heading in vans to Lolo for the
lab, please meet the vans outside of Health Sciences; on 10/13 please meet at the footbridge (on the far
side in the parking lot) to be transported to Rattlesnake Creek; and on 10/20 for the electrofishing lab,
please meet on the campus side of the footbridge to walk towards the public fields along the irrigation
ditch. Even though we will have dry suits and/or waders to use in class, please be ready to get wet. If you
have to go to class or work after lab please bring extra clothes those days.
Computer Labs: Meet in the Biology computer lab HS Room 114
When are lab reports due? If you are using your data, lab reports are due the following week’s lab
period. If we are combining the data from the entire class (as indicated by a C) then it will be posted on
Friday afternoon (after the Thursday lab) on the class Moodle page. In this case, lab reports are due
Thursday by 5pm. This ensures everyone has equal time to complete the assignment.
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