ENR 5280: STREAM ECOLOGY
Syllabus & Class Schedule - Autumn 2014
*syllabus created by Dr. Mažeika Sullivan and modified for Autumn 2014
Lecture: (Heffner Wetland Classroom)
Tues & Thurs 9:35 – 10:55 am
Laboratory: (Heffner Wetland Classroom)
Tues 12:45 – 3:45 pm
I. OBJECTIVES
To explore the ecology of stream ecosystems. This course focuses on the integrative principles
of stream, river, and watershed ecology as a means of understanding the natural history and
ecology of running waters. Lectures will examine the composition and function of biota in
streams and rivers; their interactions with their physical, chemical, and biotic environments;
and human influences on these ecosystems. Specifically, we will address:
1. Physical, chemical, and biological organization of streams.
2. Current theory in stream, groundwater, and watershed ecology.
3. Landscape/watershed perspectives for studying flowing waters and for understanding
the effects of anthropogenic activities on streams and rivers.
4. Laboratory and field skills for conducting stream research.
II. COURSE CONTENT
The course consists of several major segments:
1. Geomorphology, hydrology, and hydraulics of mountain and lowland streams.
2. Water chemistry and nutrient cycling in streams and rivers.
3. Structure of stream biota, including algae, heterotrophic microorganisms,
meiofauna, benthic invertebrates, fish, and other aquatic and riparian consumers.
4. Ecosystem processes, including primary production, secondary production,
decomposition, organic matter retention in streams, and aquatic-terrestrial
exchanges of nutrients and energy.
5. Trophic interactions, such as herbivory, predation, and food-web dynamics.
6. Major theories in stream and groundwater ecology, such as the river continuum
concept, nutrient spiraling, hyporheos, and flood-pulse concept.
7. Management issues for streams and watersheds, such as land use, stream
restoration, and river impoundments.
III. COURSE STRUCTURE
Two lectures per week (Tues. and Thurs., 9:35-10:55 am); one laboratory meeting per week
(Tues., 12:45 – 3:45 pm, see Lab Schedule). There will be field trips to local streams and
rivers, during which we will conduct physical, chemical, and biological measurements of
streams.
1 IV. LABORATORY
The laboratory meetings will be composed of modules, field trips, presentations, laboratory
activities, and problem-sets. Please read the appropriate information (available on Carmen)
before attending the laboratory and bring any handouts with you. Waders, boots, or other
wading shoes will be available for the field trips. However, if your prefer your own, please
bring them with you. In the laboratory, students should have a laboratory notebook and a
calculator.
V. INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Adam Kautza
Heffner Wetlands Building; Phone/voice mail/text: 612.578.6936;
email: kautza.1@buckeyemail.osu.edu
Note: when emailing me, please include STREAM ECOLOGY in the Subject. Office Hours:
Office hours: Tues & Thurs before and after lecture (at Wetlands), or by appointment.
TAs:
Leslie Rieck
Kottman Hall 465B; Phone/voice mail/text: 614-738-2590;
email: rieck.6@buckeyemail.osu.edu.
Office Hours: by appointment
Danielle Vent
Heffner Wetlands Building; Phone/voice mail/text: 419-310-0466;
email:vent.9@buckeyemail.osu.edu.
Office Hours: Tues & Thurs before and after lecture (at Wetlands), or by appointment
VI. GRADING
Literature review &
presentation: 15% Exam 1:
15%
Exam 2: 15%
Final exam: 25%
Laboratory attendance, quizzes, write-ups/reports: 30%
VII. SCHEDULE OF LECTURE TOPICS
Subject to adjustments; please check Carmen for updates. 2 Week Date Topic
1 28-Aug Introduction; Stream Ecosystems I
Stream Ecosystems II; Presentation
2-Sep
example
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
4-Sep Fluvial Geomorphology
Hydrology
9-Sep
(Guest lecture by Dr. Kristin Jaeger)
Stream Chemistry
11-Sep
(Guest lecture by Dr. Katie Hossler)
16-Sep Large Wood
18-Sep Organic Matter
23-Sep Nutrient Dynamics
Surface-Hyporheic-Groundwater
25-Sep
Interactions
30-Sep
Synthesis & Review
(make-up presentations)
Required readings
Allan & Castillo Chp. 1 (e.g., A&C 1)
A&C 14
A&C 3; Rosgen 1994 (1)
A&C 2; Montgomery & Buffington
1997 (2)
A&C 4; Corsi et al. 2010 (3)
Gurnell et al. 2002 (4)
A&C 7; Flores et al. 2013 (5)
A&C 11; Vannote et al. 1980 (6)
A&C 5; Ward et al. 2002 (7)
Junk et al. 1989 (8), Hynes 1975 (9)
2-Oct Exam I
7-Oct Aquatic Primary Producers
9-Oct Aquatic Invertebrates
Drift and Dispersal
14-Oct
(Guest lecture by Leslie Rieck)
Fish
16-Oct
(Guest lecture by Danielle Vent)
21-Oct Other Aquatic Consumers
Synthesis & Review
23-Oct
(make-up presentations)
A&C 6; Silva et al. 2010 (10)
A&C 10; Sandin & Johnson 2000 (11)
28-Oct
30-Oct
4-Nov
6-Nov
11-Nov
13-Nov
18-Nov
A&C 12; Benstead et al. 2009 (17)
A&C 9
A&C 12; Gende et al. 2004 (18)
A&C 8; Baxter et al. 2005 (19)
A&C 8; Power & Dietrich 2002 (20)
Exam II
Stream Metabolism
Herbivory
Predation
No class - Veteran's Day
Trophic Ecology I
Trophic Ecology II
Invasive Species Dynamics
20-Nov
(Guest lecture by Dr. Lauren Pintor)
Ecosystem Contamination
25-Nov
(Discussion)
27-Nov No class - Thanksgiving
Ecosystem Restoration and
2-Dec
Conservation (Discussion)
Synthesis & Review
4-Dec
(make-up presentations)
9-Dec
In-class portion of final exam,
evaluations, wrap-up
James et al. 2009 (12)
Karr 1981 (13); Fausch et al. 2002 (14)
Luechtenberger et al. 2013 (15)
Steinmetz et al. 2003 (16)
Moyle & Marchetti 2006 (21)
Sullivan & Rodewald 2012 (22)
Driscoll et al. 2007
Mosopele et al. 2009 (23)
Bernhardt & Palmer 2011
A&C 13
-
3 VIII. COURSE MATERIAL
Textbook:
Allan, J.D. and M.M. Castillo. 2007. Stream Ecology: Structure and Function of Running
Waters. Second Edition. Springer.
Required articles (available on the class website or via the OSU library):
Baxter, C. V., K. D. Fausch, and W. C. Saunders. 2005. Tangled webs: reciprocal flows of
invertebrate prey link streams and riparian zones. Freshwater Biology 50:201-220.
Benstead, J.P., March, J.G., Pringle, C.M., Ewel, K.C., and J.W. Short. 2009. Biodiversity
and ecosystem function in species-poor communities: community structure and leaf litter
breakdown in a Pacific island stream. Journal of the North American Benthological
Society 28:454:465.
Bernhardt, E.S. and M.A. Palmer. 2011. River restoration: the fuzzy logic of repairing reaches
to reverse catchment scale degradation. Ecological Applications 21:1926-1931.
Corsi, S. R., D. J. Graczyk, S. W. Geis, N. L. Booth, and K. D. Richards. 2010. A fresh look at
road salt: aquatic toxicity and water-quality impacts on local, regional, and national
scales. Environmental Science and Technology 44:7376-7382.
Driscoll, C.T., Han, Y.J., Chen, C.Y., Evers, D.C., Lambert, K.F., Holsen, T.M., Kamman,
N.C., and R.K. Munson. 2007. Mercury contamination in forest and freshwater
ecosystems in the northeastern United States. BioScience 57:17-28.
Fausch, K. D., C. E. Torgersen, C. V. Baxter, and H. W. Hi. 2002. Landscapes to
riverscapes: bridging the gap between research and conservation of stream fishes.
BioScience 52:483-498.
Flores, L., J.R. Diez, A. Larranaga, C. Pascoal, and A. Elosegi. 2013. Effects of
retention site on breakdown of organic matter in a mountain stream. Freshwater
Biology 58:1267-1278.
Gende, S.M., T.P. Quinn, R. Hilborn, A.P. Hendry, and B. Dickerson. 2004. Brown bears
selectively kill salmon with higher energy content but only in habitats that facilitate choice.
Oikos 104:518-528.
Gurnell et al. 2002. Large wood and fluvial processes. Freshwater Biology 47:601-619.
Hynes, H. B. N. 1975. Edgardo Baldi Memorial Lecture. The stream and its valley.
Verhandlungen der Internationelen Vereinigung für Theoretische und Angewandte
Limnologie 19:1-15.
James, A.B.W., Z.S. Dewson, and R.G. Death. 2009. The influence of flow
reduction on macroinvertebrate drift density and distance in three New
Zealand streams. Journal of the North American Benthological Society:
28:220-232.
Junk, W.J., Bayley, P.B., and R.E. Sparks. 1989. The flood pulse concept in river-floodplain
systems. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences – Special Publication 106:110
127.
Karr, J. 1981. Assessment of biotic integrity using fish communities. Fisheries
6:21-27.
Leuchtenberger, C., L.G.R. Oliveira-Santos, W. Magnusson, and G. Mourao. 2013. Space use
by giant otter groups in the Brazilian Pantanal 94: 320-330.
Montgomery, D. R., and J. M. Buffington. 1997. Channel-reach morphology in mountain drainage
basins. Geological Society of America Bulletin 109: 596-611.
Mosopele, K., Moyle, P.B., Merron, G.S., Purkey, D.R., and B. Mosepele. 2009. Fish, floods,
and ecosystem engineers: aquatic conservation in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.
Bioscience 59: 53-64.
Moyle, P.B., and M.P. Marchetti. 2006. Predicting invasion success: freshwater fishes in
4 California as a model. BioScience 56:1-10.
Power, M.E. and W.E. Dietrich. 2002. Food webs in river networks. Ecological Research 17:
451-471.
Rosgen, D. L. 1994. A classification of natural rivers. Catena 22:169-199.
Silva, T.S., Costa, M.P.F., and J.M. Melack. 2010. Spatial and temporal variability of
macrophyte cover and productivity in the eastern Amazon floodplain: a remote sensing
approach. Remote Sensing of the Environment 114: -2010.
Sandin, L., and R.K. Johnson. 2000. Ecoregions and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages of
Swedish streams. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 19:462:474.
Steinmetz, J., S.L. Kohler, and D.A. Soluk. 2003. Birds are overlooked top predators in
aquatic food webs. Ecology 84:1324-1328.
Sullivan, S.M.P. and A.D. Rodewald. 2012. In a state of flux: the energetic pathways that
move contaminants from aquatic to terrestrial environments (Invited). Environmental
Toxicology and Chemistry 31:1-9.
Vannote, R. L., G. W. Minshall, K. W. Cummins, J. R. Sedell, and C. E. Cushing. 1980.
The river continuum concept. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
37:130-137.
Ward, J. V., K. Tockner, D. B. Arscott, and C. Claret. 2002. Riverine landscape
diversity. Freshwater Biology 47:517-539.
Class Website & Gmail:
1. Carmen will be used extensively during the class. Please check Carmen
consistently during the course of the quarter for class updates and reminders, lab
assignments and other postings, and grades.
2. We will use Gmail to share documents and data files. If you do not already
have a Gmail account, please create one for the class (free of charge).
IX. SCHEDULE OF LABORATORY TOPICS
Laboratory sessions will run from 12:45-3:45 pm (Tues.) unless otherwise noted. Please note that
the following schedule is subject to adjustments. Please check Carmen for updates.
Week
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Date
Lab #
2-Sep
1
9-Sep
2
16-Sep
23-Sep
3
30-Sep
7-Oct
4
14-Oct
21-Oct
3 (cont.)
28-Oct
4-Nov
5
11-Nov
18-Nov
25-Nov
2-Dec
9-Dec
-
Topic
Landscapes, basins & fluvial geomorphology
Mussel Conservation and Research Center
No lab - Veteran's Day
Activity
Lab group Due date
Rosgen online module
Both
9-Sep
Outdoor lab - Waterman
1
16-Sep
Farm
2
23-Sep
Outdoor lab - Highbanks
1
see below
MetroPark
2
see below
Outdoor lab - Olentangy
1
14-Oct
River and Wetlands
2
21-Oct
1
18-Nov
Indoor lab
2
25-Nov
Field trip
Grad only
25-Nov
-
No scheduled lab meetings
-
-
-
Evaluations, wrap-up, etc.
-
Both
-
Habitat & geomorphic assessments
Aquatic macroinvertebrates (field)
Fish
Aquatic macroinvertebrates (lab)
5 X. GUIDELINES FOR LITERATURE REVIEW & “SPEED” PRESENTATIONS
Each student pair will prepare a short handout (1-2 pages) and prepare a short presentation
on either a review or research paper that will be assigned to you at the beginning of the
quarter. The following guidelines provide a general template for review, write-up and
presentation/discussion (~12 min/paper) of assigned articles.
Outline for Class Handout:
I) Definitions: Write down words or terms that are new to you in the assigned paper. (Define
these terms prior to arrival in class)
II) Summary: Write a short, objective summary of the paper. Do not evaluate the paper at
this point, simply summarize in a few sentences its purpose, main findings and "take
home" message.
III) Objectives: Explicitly state the objectives of the paper, as given by the author(s). What
reasons are given to support the importance and/or relevance of the research objectives
and/or findings?
IV) Methods: Are the methods used appropriate and adequate for the questions or hypotheses
being addressed? Identify any methods that are not clearly presented or that you do not
understand (applies to research papers only).
V) Results: Outline the main results presented in the paper. How do the results relate to the
questions or hypotheses set forth in the objectives? Identify any unclear results.
VI) Discussion: (Here is where you should offer your personal evaluation of the paper.) How
well does the discussion reflect the results? Are interpretations of the data presented in the
results section justified, or to what extent are the interpretations and discussion speculative?
Does the paper adequately represent both the strengths/weaknesses of the research findings?
VII) Overall: What do you consider as the main strengths of the paper? What are some
weaknesses? What is interesting about the paper? What did you learn? What relevance does
this paper have to issues or topics that have been discussed in class? What other areas of
ecological research can you relate this paper to, either in terms of basic or applied science?
Class presentation/discussion:
Do not read your handout to the class. Prepare a power-point presentation containing key
figures, photos of research area, researchers, etc. Focus your presentation (~12 min) on
research highlights (methods, results, discussion) & implications for future studies and tie the
material in to class lectures. Be prepared for a brief discussion by bringing questions you can
ask your classmates.
XI. ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
Academic integrity is essential in maintaining excellence in teaching, research, and other
6 educational and scholarly activities. Thus, The Ohio State University and the Committee on
Academic Misconduct (COAM) expect that all students have read and understand the
University’s Code of Student Conduct, and that all students will complete all academic and
scholarly assignments with fairness and honesty.
Students must recognize that failure to follow the rules and guidelines established in the
University’s Code of Student Conduct and this syllabus may constitute “Academic Misconduct.”
The Ohio State University’s Code of Student Conduct (Section 3335-23-04) defines academic
misconduct as: “Any activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity of the University,
or subvert the educational process.” Examples of academic misconduct include (but are not
limited to) plagiarism, collusion (unauthorized collaboration), copying the work of another
student, and possession of unauthorized materials during an examination. Ignorance of the
University’s Code of Student Conduct is never considered an “excuse” for academic
misconduct. Please review the Code of Student Conduct and, specifically, the sections dealing
with academic misconduct. If I suspect that a student has committed academic misconduct in
this course, I am obligated by University Rules to report my suspicions to the Committee on
Academic Misconduct. If COAM determines that you have violated the University’s Code of
Student Conduct (i.e., committed academic misconduct), the sanctions for the misconduct could
include a failing grade in this course and suspension or dismissal from the University.
XII. DISABILITY
Students with disabilities that have been certified by the Office for Disabilities
Services will be appropriately accommodated, and should inform the instructor as
soon as possible of their needs.
7