Zoology 510 – Ecology of Fishes
Spring 2015
The central goal of Zoology 510 is to give you experience with the scientific process of thinking
critically about a concept, then analyzing the evidence for a hypothesis about ecological systems.
We will assess many aspects of fish ecology, evolution, and conservation through lectures,
discussions, examination of fish specimens, field trips, and research projects. By the end of the
course, you will be aware of the enormous diversity of fishes on Earth, their deep and recent
evolutionary history, the way they function as individual organisms and within ecological webs,
their management and use by human society, and the conservation challenges that fish face now
and in the future. Along the way, you will execute your own research project in the field and at
the Shedd Aquarium, hone your skills in scientific report writing both in teams and individually,
and make use of the impressive fish collections at UW-Madison. Thus, this course uses fish as a
fascinating taxon for building your broader skill set in critical thinking and scientific
communication.
Instructors:
Jake Vander Zanden - office hours: after class, or by appt.
226B Center for Limnology; mjvanderzand@wisc.edu
Pete McIntyre - office hours: after class, or by appt.
223B Center for Limnology; pmcintyre@wisc.edu
TAs:
Ben Kraemer, Center for Limnology; bkraemer2@wisc.edu
Chelsey Blanke, Center for Limnology; cmblanke@wisc.edu
Course Requirements:
Lectures: Tuesday and Thursday 9:55- 10:45 in 168 Noland Hall
Discussion: Thursday 1:30-3:00 in 168 Noland Hall
Exams:
1. 26 Feb (Lectures 1-11). During discussion period.
2. 26 Mar (Lectures 12-19). During discussion period.
3. 7 May (Lectures 20-30). During discussion period. Emphasis will be on final 1/3, but
will also draw upon earlier material). Please note: all exams must be taken during the
designated exam times.
Papers:
1. Madison Lakes. Field outing on 14 Feb, option of morning or afternoon outings. Paper
due 12 Mar.
2. Shedd Aquarium. Full day (06:00-19:00) field trip on 25 Apr. Paper due 7 May.
3. Fishy Readings. Book report due 30 Apr.
Weighting:
Exam l
Exam 2
Exam 3
Madison Lakes Paper
Shedd Paper (handout)
Fishy readings (handout)
20%
20%
20%
15%
15%
10%
Textbook: None, individual readings posted as pdfs on Learn@UW. Key textbooks and other
resources are also on reserve at Steenbock Memorial Library.
Panel of Experts: You will be randomly assigned two fishes—one freshwater, one marine. It
will be your job to do some homework on your species, and be prepared to share your knowledge
during class discussion or in answering exam questions (yes, your fishes will be included on the
test!). Besides web resources, there are a wide variety of books in the library (Fishes of the Great
Lakes, Freshwater Fishes of Canada, etc.) that have useful information.
Lec
1
2
Date
Jan 20
Jan 22
3
4
Jan 27
Jan 29
5
6
Feb 3
Feb 5
7
8
Feb 10
Feb 12
9
10
Feb 14
Feb 17
Feb 19
11
12
Feb 24
Feb 26
13
14
Mar 3
Mar 5
15
16
Mar 10
Mar 12
17
18
Mar 17
Mar 19
19
20
Mar 24
Mar 26
21
Mar 31
Apr 2
Apr 7
22
Apr 9
23
24
Apr 14
Apr 16
25
26
Apr 21
Apr 23
27
28
Apr 25
Apr 28
Apr 30
29
30
May 5
May 7
May 7
Topic
Introduction
Fish evolution and systematics
Discussion: none
Fish evolution and systematics
Morphology & adaptations
Discussion: ancient fishes
Growth and Bioenergetics
Growth and Bioenergetics
Discussion: TBA
Primitive Fishes
Fishes of WI
Discussion: Mad lakes trip
MAD LAKES FIELD TRIP
Reproduction and life history
Life history and migrations
Discussion: Mad lakes trip
Key habitats and indicators of change
Social behavior
Lecturer
Vander Zanden
Vander Zanden
Readings
Vander Zanden
Vander Zanden
Moyle13
Helfman8, Moyle2
Vander Zanden
Vander Zanden
Vander Zanden
David
Lyons
Diana8
McIntyre
McIntyre
Moyle - reproduction
Moyle - Behavior
Discussion: Exam 1 (lec. 1-11)
Fishes as predators
Fishes as prey
Discussion: UW Fish Collection
Food webs and trophic cascades
Food web case study
Discussion: UW Fish Collection
McIntyre
McIntyre
McIntyre
McIntyre
Tunney
McIntyre
Adaptive radiations
Great Lakes
Discussion
Lake Tanganyika
Global biogeography
Discussion: Exam 2 (lec. 12-19)
SPRING BREAK
SPRING BREAK
Capture Fisheries
McIntyre
McIntyre
Mumby et al 2006; due date
for Ice Fishing team report
Seehausen 2006
Diana - Great Lakes
McIntyre
McIntyre
Takeuchi et al. 2010
Abell et al. 2008
Aquaculture
Discussion: Fisheries Management
Fisheries management
Tribal Fisheries
Discussion: tribal fisheries
Biodiversity & bio. homogenization
Invasives and food webs
Discussion: prepare for Shedd trip
SHEDD FIELD TRIP
Invasives and food webs
Threats and aquatic conservation
Discussion: Analysis & writing of
Shedd project
Mercury in fish
Climate change
Discussion: Exam 3 (lec. 20-30)
McIntyre
McIntyre
G. Hansen
Vander Zanden
Vander Zanden
Vander Zanden
Vander Zanden
Vander Zanden/Magnuson
Vander Zanden
Vander Zanden
Vander Zanden
Vander Zanden
Moyle12
Moerke
McIntyre
McIntyre
Vander Zanden
Vander Zanden
Welcomme 2011; Swartz et
al. 2010
Garcia et al 2012