Spring 2001 Ichthyology BIO563 3 credits

Lecture  MW 12-12:50  BISC Conference room (C102)
Laboratory W 1-3:45  BISC 110B Aquatic Biology Classroom
Dr. Cheryl Wilga, BISC 114, x9020, cwilga@uri.edu
TA Tony Wood, awood@gsosun1.gso.uri.edu

Spring 2001 BIO563 Ichthyology Syllabus

Lecture: This is an introductory course in ichthyology designed to familiarize advanced undergraduates and graduate students with the classification, morphology, biology, ecology, and behavior of fishes. The first part of the course covers general morphology and taxonomy, the second part stresses functional biology and the last part concentrates on ecology.

 Lecture examinations will encompass the lecture material and the text. The lectures are designed to supplement the text and not replace it (except for taxonomic chapters). Examinations generally are composed of multiple choice questions, short answer, and short essay questions.  

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 experience. Identification of common marine and freshwater fishes of Rhode Island 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. Lab exams will include identification of fishes and structures. The research paper will provide experience in conducting a research project, analyzing data, and preparing a scientific paper. The research paper will be explained during lab.

 Make-up Exams: You must have an approved university excuse for missing an exam. Make‑up lecture exams are all essay. Missed examinations and tests are assigned a score of zero. Missing a class can and will affect your grade adversely.

 Grades: At the end of the semester, grades from lecture exams, laboratory practicals, and laboratory research paper will be combined and final grades assigned according to the following scale: 90-100% = A, 80-89% = B, 70-79% = C, 60-69% = D, and less than 60% = F. No extra credit material will be given. All exams are non‑cumulative. A total of 470 points are possible:

            3 Lecture Exams @ 100 pts each                     300 pts.
            2 Laboratory Practicals @ 60 pts. each            120 pts.
            1 Laboratory Research Paper                             50 pts

          Required Texts:

1) Bond, C.E. 1996. Biology of Fishes. Second Edition. Saunders College Publishing: New York.

2) Calliet, G.M. et al. 1996. Fishes: a field and laboratory manual on their structure, identification and natural history. Waveland Press, Prospect Heights, Illinois.

Spring 2001 BIO563 Ichthyology

Laboratory Research Paper

Laboratory Research Paper. 40 points written report + 10 points presentation = total 50 points

Due April 25th, 1 PM. Late Reports are deducted 10 points per day.

 The research paper is designed to provide each student with experience in scientific observation, interpretation of results, and scientific writing. The length of the entire paper (text, figures, tables, and references) must not exceed 16 double-spaced, typed pages. Each additional page will result in a reduction of 10 points. The title can head the first page and be followed by the abstract and then the introduction. You must add subheadings to the text: Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, Literature Cited. Follow the Copeia (Journal of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists) literature cited format exactly! All writing must be of scientific format, and follow the format of Copeia exactly. See the first issue of 2001 for the Notice to Authors in Copeia. Illustrations must be of respectable quality; for example, no hand drawn graphs or hand written legends etc. on the figures. You can insert figures and tables into the text rather than grouping them on separate pages at the end. The final paper must of respectable publishable quality. Dr. Wilga is the editor and Tony Wood is associate editor of this hypothetical Copeia issue.

 The research paper may utilize fish from our museum, field collections, or from retailers.

Suggested topics include:

Feeding adaptations or mechanisms of fish(es)

Adaptations for locomotion

Sensory systems, or one particular sensory system

Foraging strategies in fish(es)

Respiratory adaptations or strategies in fish(es)

Reproductive strategies or adaptation

Community structure of fish faunas from particular habitat(s)

Trophic levels

Ecosystems

Predator-Prey interactions

Behavioral adaptations

Take a look at the exercises in the lab manual for some good ideas (Chapters 3, 5, 13)

Or you can suggest a topic

ALL TOPICS, REGARDLESS, MUST BE APPROVED BY ME BEFORE YOU BEGIN.

I suggest you use at least 7 references from the primary literature. Graphs, figures and tables might be used to present the data. You might even run some simple statistics on the data. My reprint collection is open to you, provided you follow the sign out procedures. You can also use most of my lab equipment provided you check with me before. Think ahead, you might want to collect 10-15 additional specimens while we are at the collection sites! I WILL GLADLY MEET WITH YOU TO HELP WITH THE REPORT IN ANY WAY. Finally, you will present your study at a mini-symposium during the lab period of April 25th. Your presentation will be limited to 10 minutes with 2 minutes for questions. You will be cut off at 12 minutes. The presentation should be prepared as if you were giving this at the national meetings. Prepare good overheads or slides for this presentation! I will give pointers on oral presentations.

Other books that may be of interest:

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.

3) Paxton J.R. and W.N. Eschmeyer. 1998. Encyclopedia of Fishes. Second Edition. Academic Press: New York

4) Pollock, L.W. 1998. A practical guide to the marine animals of Northeastern North America. Rutgers University Press: New Jersey

5) Weiss, H.M. 1995. Marine animals of Southern New England and New York. State Geological and natural history survey of Connecticut. Department of Environmental Protection.

6) Nelson, J.S. 1994. Fishes of the World. Third edition.  John Wiley & Sons: New York.