Fall 2004 Ichthyology BIO563 Tentative Schedule

Lecture TR 11-12:15 BISC Conference Room, Lab 12:30-3:30 BISC C109

Professor: Dr. Cheryl Wilga, BISC 114, x9020, cwilga@uri.edu

Teaching Assistant: Chris Durie BISC B113, cdurie@hotmail.com

Fall 2004 Ichthyology BIO563 Tentative Schedule

 Required Books: 1) Bond, C.E. 1996. Biology of Fishes. Second Edition. Saunders College Publishing: New York . 2)  Cailliet, Love, and Ebeling. Fishes: A Field and Laboratory Manual. Waveland Press.

Recommended Books:  1) Robins, C. Richard, Ray, G. Carlton, and John Douglass. 1986. A Field Guide to The Atlantic Coast Fishes of North America . Houghton Mifflin Co. A Peterson Field Guide Series.  2) Page, Lawrence M. and Brooks M. Burr. 1991. A Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston . A Peterson Field Guide Series.

Lecture: This is an introductory course in ichthyology designed to familiarize advanced undergraduate and graduate students with the classification, morphology, biology, ecology, and behavior of fishes. The lecture covers general morphology, taxonomy, functional biology, and ecology. Lecture examinations will encompass lecture material and text readings. The lectures are designed to supplement the text and not replace it. Examinations generally are composed of multiple choice, figures, short answer, and short essay questions.

Journal Paper Presentation: Readings of current original research papers in the field of ichthyology will supplement the lecture material. Each student will select a journal paper related to a lecture topic and give a 10-12 minute presentation with an additional 3-5 minutes for questions on that journal paper to the class at the end of that lecture day. The paper must be selected from recent issues (1983 to 2003) of a peer-reviewed journal. I must approve the paper and you should provide me with a copy at least one week prior to your presentation. You will be graded on your oral presentation (20 pts) and a single spaced, typed critique (2 page limit) (20 pts) of the paper to be turned in at the time of the oral presentation. The presentation should address the goals of the research, the methods employed to carry out those goals, what was learned from the study, what conclusions were supported by the data, what the limitations were, if any, and how might the study be improved or expanded. Oral presentations may be in any format (e.g. overheads, slides, powerpoint, video, audio) necessary to enlighten your audience, let me know one week in advance what format/s you will need. Only one presentation will be given at the end of any lecture and will be graded by your classmates, your TA and myself according to the standards for best student oral presentations at scientific conferences (see below). You will receive a summary-grading sheet of the scores so that reviewers remain anonymous. For instruction on writing the critique refer to the handout “Writing the Critique.”

Grant Proposal paper:  This paper is designed to provide you with experience writing a research grant proposal. All topics must be approved by myself and I will gladly meet with you to help along the way. The proposal format must follow that for the National Science Foundation. At the end of the semester, in a mini-symposium, you will present your grant proposal to the class, who will act as the granting agency, and turn in your grant proposal. Your oral presentations may be in any format necessary to enlighten your audience, let me know one week in advance what format/s you will need. Your presentation will be graded by your classmates, your TA and myself according to the standards for NSF grant proposals, also on the website. I will collect the class reviews and will give you a summary sheet of the scores so that reviewers remain anonymous. Choose from Animal Behavior, Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology, or Integrative Animal Biology. Program descriptions and proposal format can be found at the following website: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/progdesc/1998/bio/ibn/1141.htm

Laboratory: The lab course is designed to supplement the lecture course with hands-on experience on the structure and function of fishes through identification, dissection, and field sampling. Identification of common marine and freshwater fishes of New England will be stressed. There are several field trips in the lab providing field experience in collection techniques and identification of fishes. Any material covered in lab or in the lab readings can and will be tested on the practical. The lab practical will include identification of fishes (field trip + preserved specimens) and morphology.

Field Trip Papers: Three short papers based on the lab field trips will serve to creatively reinforce the laboratory experience. All papers are to be double spaced in 12-point font and in proper scientific format with all references from peer-reviewed journals. Page limits do not include references or figures

1) Field Sampling Paper. The first paper is based on your field data among sampling sites and can be a discussion of any combination of ecological, morphological, or taxonomic characteristics that you wish. Keep an accurate record of your field data, include species and abundance. An effort will be made to get abundances of the fish caught, however in certain cases you will have to estimate numbers. You may choose the method in which to analyze your sampling data, be creative! Take some time to examine your data. In a short paper (5 page limit), discuss your field data. Your paper should be in the proper scientific format, with a brief introduction, methods, results, and discussion. If you keep up with this as the semester goes on, it will not be a lot of work. It is always better to enter data, and record notes while everything is still fresh in your mind.  

2) Hatchery Paper. You will pick one journal article that advocates and one that opposes hatchery-raised fish and discuss this issue in a short paper (3 page limit).  Note that many of these articles detail possible pros and cons, which is fine as long as they have some evidence to support their claims. You must hand in a copy of both articles with your paper. 

3) Aquarium Paper. This field trip will serve to illustrate behaviors that are not readily observable in the lab or field.  More details will follow.

Make-up Exams: You must have an approved university excuse for missing an exam. Make‑up lecture exams are all essay and makeup lab practicals are oral. Missed examinations and tests are assigned a score of zero. Missing a class can adversely affect your grade. If you do miss a class, make sure to get the notes from one of your classmates.

Grades: Final grades assigned according to the standard scale, unless I see fit to scale. No extra credit material will be given. Exams are non‑cumulative. A total of 390 points are possible:

            3 Lecture Exams @ 50 pts each                                                                 150 pts.
            1 Journal Article Presentation (20pts) and Critique (20pts)                       40 pts
            1 Laboratory Practical                                                                                    60 pts
            1 Grant Proposal (40 pts) and presentation (20pts)                                   60 pts
            Participation                                                                                                    20 pts