BIOL
487 -- Ichthyology Lecture Course Syllabus
Spring
2006
Time and Day: 12:30 –
13:45, M W
Room: Biology 258
Instructor:
Thomas F. Turner,
Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Curator of Fishes
Department of Biology and
Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB)
Contacting me:
By E-mail: turnert@unm.edu – this is the best way to reach me and set up an appointment if you need to meet in person
In Person: Office: CERIA 227
Office hours: By appointment
Feel free to see me regarding any aspect of the lecture and/or laboratory course during my office hours, just prior to, or immediately following lecture, and/or by appointment.
By Phone: (505) 277-7541 office
(505) 277-6005 MSB—Fishes (Lex Snyder – Collection Manager)
Lecture Course Description
– Ichthyology encompasses species diversity, natural history, and ecological
and evolutionary relationships of fishes.
This course will consist of three major parts: (1) comparative anatomy
and physiology of fishes; (2) phylogenetic systematics and a survey of
evolutionary lineages of fishes; (3) ecology and conservation of fishes. More than 24,000 species of fishes have been
described from every conceivable aquatic habitat, making it the largest group
of vertebrates known. Fishes serve as
indicator species of environmental change imposed by natural and human causes,
and so comparative fish studies have led to a richer understanding of basic
ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that affect such change. The scientific literature is replete with
fishes as classical model systems for clinical developmental study (e.g., zebrafish),
conservation genetics (e.g., salmon and trout), and the biology of species
formation (e.g., African cichlids). The diversity
of fishes provides excellent opportunities to effectively illustrate
fundamental concepts of ecology and evolutionary biology through tangible
examples provided by comparative study of fishes. Knowledge of the basic biology of fishes is
also essential for conservation and management.
Goals of Ichthyology Course-. In this course we will learn about the major evolutionary lineages of fishes, and survey major families of fishes. We will highlight the remarkable adaptations of fishes through comparative study among evolutionary lineages. Students will learn about evolutionary processes that shape species diversity, causes of decline and extinction, and ecology and conservation of fishes through examples from the primary literature.
How
do Lecture (BIOL 487) and Lab (BIOL 487L) Fit Together?
Goals Enhance understanding of fish biodiversity; pose
relevant questions about the production, maintenance, and degradation of fish
biodiversity; and seek answers in a foundation built on evolutionary and
ecological relationships of fishes.
Requirements:
1) Textbooks-. The texts we will use are:
Helfman, G.S., B. B. Collette, and D. E. Facey. 1997. The Diversity of Fishes. Blackwell Science Publishers.
Page, L.M., and B.M. Burr. 1991. A Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes. Houghton Mifflin Co. Publishers.
2) Participation in Laboratory -. If you are enrolled in BIOL 487, you are required to enroll in Ichthyology Laboratory (BIOL 487L). Lab meets in Biology Room 83 on Monday from 14:00 – 16:50 in Biology Room 120. The TA for Ichthyology laboratory is Wade Wilson, a PhD student in the Biology Department at UNM.
3) Participation in Field Trips. Class field trips are mandatory except for the optional Spring Break field trip and the Larval Fish field trip. Absences for field trips will only be excused for reasons involving an emergency, illness, and/or death in the family. Absences for medical reasons require a doctor’s excuse.
Exams and Grading:
There will be three exams in this course, each receiving progressively more weight to the final grade, which will allow you to get used to the type of questions I ask on exams and my expectations for your performance. Make-up exams will only be given for absences involving an emergency, illness, and/or death in the family. Absences for medical reasons require a doctor’s excuse.
First Hour exam 125 pts.
Second Hour exam: 175 pts.
Third Hour exam: 200 pts.
Laboratory 200 pts.
The third hour exam will be comprehensive, but the primary focus will be the material between Hour Exam 2 and Hour exam 3.
Your final grade will be the total number of points you earned divided by the total points possible (700 pts.). Note that the laboratory is approximately 30% of your final grade.
The grading scale will be:
A = 90 - 100
B = 80 - 89
C = 70 - 79
D = 60 - 69
F = 59% or below
Attendance: You must attend Ichthyology for the first two weeks of classes to retain your enrollment, otherwise you will be dropped from the course. Attendance for exams and field trips (unless otherwise indicated) is mandatory. Failure to attend during these times will result in grade of zero for the missed exam or field trip.
Academic Dishonesty: Although
I encourage you to study together, each person is responsible for his/her own
exams and papers. Cheating on exams
and/or plagiarism on the systematics report will result in a failing grade for
that exam or report, and sanction through appropriate University channels as
outlined in The Pathfinder.
Lecture
and Event Schedule – Spring 2006
(Schedule is subject
to change with notice)
|
Date |
Day |
Lecture |
Lecture Topic |
|
|
18-Jan |
W |
1 |
Introduction to Ichthyology |
Chapter 1 |
|
23-Jan |
M |
2 |
Skeleton, Skin, Scales |
Chapter 3 |
|
25-Jan |
W |
3 |
Metabolism and Energy |
Chapter 5 |
|
30-Jan |
M |
4 |
Sensory Systems |
Chapter 6 |
|
1-Feb |
W |
5 |
Homeostasis |
Chapter 7 |
|
6-Feb |
M |
6 |
Functional Morphology |
Chapter 8 |
|
8-Feb |
W |
7 |
Age, Growth, and Reproduction |
Chapter 10 |
|
13-Feb |
M |
|
Hour Exam 1 |
|
|
15-Feb |
W |
8 |
Systematics Introduction (Field Trip to Aquarium) |
Chapter 2 |
|
20-Feb |
M |
9 |
History of Fishes |
Chapter 11 |
|
22-Feb |
W |
10 |
Chondrichthyes |
Chapter 12 |
|
27-Feb |
M |
11 |
Osteichthyes |
Chapter 13 |
|
1-Mar |
W |
12 |
Teleosts 1 |
Chapter 14 |
|
6-Mar |
M |
13 |
Teleosts 2 |
Chapter 15 |
|
8-Mar |
W |
14 |
Zoogeography of Fishes |
Chapter 16 |
|
13-Mar |
M |
|
|
|
|
15-Mar |
W |
|
|
|
|
20-Mar |
M |
15 |
Fishes of |
class notes |
|
22-Mar |
W |
|
Hour Exam 2 |
|
|
27-Mar |
M |
16 |
Fishes as Predators |
Chapter 18 |
|
29-Mar |
W |
17 |
Fishes as Prey |
Chapter 19 |
|
3-Apr |
M |
18 |
Reproductive Ecology |
Chapter 20 |
|
5-Apr |
W |
|
Field Trip |
|
|
10-Apr |
M |
19 |
Social Interactions of Fishes |
Chapter 21 |
|
12-Apr |
W |
|
Field Trip |
|
|
17-Apr |
M |
20 |
Activity and Behavior |
Chapter 22 |
|
19-Apr |
W |
21 |
Population & Community Ecology |
Chapter 23, 24 |
|
24-Apr |
M |
22 |
Early Life History of Fishes |
Chapter 9 |
|
26-Apr |
W |
|
Field Trip-larval fish |
|
|
1-May |
M |
23 |
Conservation of Fishes |
Chapter 25 |
|
3-May |
W |
|
Study Day - No Lecture |
|
|
10-May |
W |
|
Final Exam, Room 258, 12:30 - 13:45 |
|
Last Update: 9 January, 2006, by T. Turner; ©T. Turner