AQUATIC ECOLOGY - EEES 4730

ADVANCED AQUATIC ECOLOGY - EEES 5730/7730

Fall 2008 semester - 3 credits

Time and Place: Mon, Wed 10 -11:15am; Bowman-Oddy Room 3045
Instructors:

Thomas Bridgeman, 3096D BO, 530-5499 (BO office), -8373 (LEC)
 Office: Mon 11:30am-12pm, Wed 9–9:30am, 11:15am -3:15 pm, or by apt.
E-mail: thomas.bridgeman@utoledo.edu
Website: http://www.lakeerie.utoledo.edu/tomres.html

Hans Gottgens, 1009C BO, 530-8451 (office) or 4597 (lab)
Office: Mon 3 - 5pm, Wed 1 – 4 pm, or by apt.
E-mail: johan.gottgens@utoledo.edu
Website: www.eeescience.utoledo.edu/Faculty/Gottgens/Default.htm
Pre- or co-requisite: EEES 3050 or equivalent.

Description:
The structure and functioning of freshwater ecosystems with an emphasis on ecological concepts needed to understand and solve practical management problems involving water pollution, wetlands, dams and reservoirs, the Great Lakes, habitat restoration, invasive species, and tropical management of water resources.

Required Text:
 1.  Kalff, J. 2002.  Limnology: Inland water ecosystems.  Prentice-Hall, New Jersey: 592 pp.

2.  An electronic course reader consisting of review papers and primary literature pertaining to management, conservation, and restoration of lakes, rivers and wetlands.  These papers will be available on the course web site.

Course home page:
 Throughout the semester, materials and links will be made available on this Internet site.  Such links will include items specifically related to the course (example test questions, suggested literature, key terms and concepts), as well as current events in aquatic sciences, career opportunities, etc.  

Some recommended texts:(can be checked out from Carlson Library or from instructors)
Campbell, L.W. 1995.  The marshes of Southwestern Lake Erie.  Ohio University Press, Athens: 233 pp.
Horne, A.J. and C.R. Goldman. 1994.  Limnology (2nd Ed.).  McGraw-Hill, New York: 576 pp.
Lampert, W. and U. Sommer. 1997.  Limnoecology: The ecology of lakes and streams.  Oxford University Press, New York: 382 pp.
Mitsch, W.J. and J.G. Gosselink.  2007.  Wetlands (4th Ed.).  John Wiley & Sons, New York: 600 pp.
Moss, B. 1998. Ecology of fresh waters; Man and medium, past to future (3rd Ed.). Blackwell Science, Oxford, U.K.: 557 pp.
Sanders, R.E.  2001. A guide to Ohio streams.  Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Columbus, Ohio: 120 pp.
Weller, M.W. 1994.  Freshwater marshes: Ecology and wildlife management.  University of Minnesota Press (3rd Ed.), Minneapolis: 154 pp.
Wetzel, R.G. 2001. Limnology: Lake and reservoir ecosystems (3rd Ed.). Academic Press, San Diego: 1006 pp.

Grading:
 All material for the exams will come from the lectures and assigned readings.  Exams will be essay/short answer format and the final will not be comprehensive.  There are no extra credit options.

EEES 4730:  Midterms 1 and 2 (25% each), analysis and critique of research paper (20%), final exam (30%)

EEES 5730/7730:  Midterms 1 and 2 (25% each), analysis/critique/presentation of research topic (20%), final exam (30%)

(EEES 5730/7730 exams are different from EEES 4730 exams and will include additional questions stressing synthesis and extrapolation of principles and theory covered in class).

October 31 is the last day to withdraw from the course and receive a “W” grade.  Unless a student withdraws him/herself by this date, he/she will remain enrolled in the class and will be graded.  “IW” grades are no longer issued.  “I” grades are only given in extraordinary cases when unexpected conditions prevent the student from completing the requirements of the course within the term of enrollment.

Academic Honesty:
Students are expected to adhere to principles of academic honesty in all aspects of this course.  We follow the University of Toledo’s policies on academic dishonesty (see http://catalog.utoledo.edu/ 98-00catalog/gen-academic-dishonesty.html).  Infractions may therefore result in a failing grade for the course.

 

Bridgeman/Gottgens: Fall 2008 Syllabus Aquatic Ecology (EEES 4730/5730/7730).

 

Dates

 

Topics

 

Instr.

 

Readings*

 

Aug
25, 27

 

Introduction.  Why study aquatic ecology?  Examples from temperate and tropical regions with some basic terminology.  Historical developments in aquatic ecology.  Time scales, spatial scales

HG

Ch. 1[ppt], 2[ppt];
Forbes 1887

 

Sep 3

 

Properties of water, Global water resources, The Laurentian Great Lakes.

TB

 

Ch. 3, 4 [ppt]
 Great Lakes Atlas [ppt]

 

Sep
10,15

 

Hydrology, climate and water budgets.  Formation and age of lakes, estuaries and wetlands.  Attributes of lake and catchment morphometry.

HG

 

Ch 5 [ppt], 6 [ppt], 7 [ppt]

 

Sep
17, 22

 

Aquatic system and their catchments. Trophic state and trophic dynamics.
Rivers and their ecotones.  River Continuum Concept, flood pulse, pulse stability, and aquatic-terrestrial transition zones.

TB/HG

 

Ch 9 [ppt], 8 [ppt]

 

Sep 24

 

Catch-up, review, questions (and answers).
 Selection of research paper(s) due.

 

 

 

 

Sep 29

 

First Midterm

 

 

 

Oct
1, 6
 

 

Energy balance, light and heat, thermal stratification.  Seasonal cycles and biotic interactions.

HG/TB

 

Ch 10 [ppt], 11 [ppt] [ppt part 2]

 

Oct
8, 13

 

Inorganic carbon, buffering and pH.  Dissolved oxygen, aquatic photosynthesis, respiration, DOC and BOD. Oxidation-reduction.

HG

 

Ch 14, 15, 16 [ppt]

 

Oct
15, 22

Cycling and management of nitrogen and phosphorus, limiting nutrients. Basic loading models, eutrophication, nutrient remediation

Dr. Apul (guest)/TB

Ch 17, 18 [ppt]
Hecky 1993
 Extra Credit HW

 

Oct
27, 29

 

Ecology and taxonomy of major groups of phytoplankton.  Resource competition. Bacteria and the microbial food web.  Biomass, productivity, and seasonality.

TB

 

Ch 21,22 [algae I] [algae II]
[algae/bacteria]

 

Nov 3

 

 

Second Midterm

 

 

 

 

Nov
5, 10

 

Macrophytes:  Distribution, biomass, diversity and management.
Zooplankton: Sampling, classification, diversity, and ecology. 

 





 HG/TB

Ch 23
 Brooks and Dodson, 1965
Ch 24 [pdf]

 

Nov
12, 17

 

Research paper critique/fact sheet due.

Zoobenthos:  Size and energy flow, sampling, classification and life history aspects
Fish:  Diversity, life history, sampling, Great Lakes fisheries management
 

TB/HG

 

Ch 25 , 26

[ppt] [pdf]

 

Nov
19, 24

 

Community ecology; food webs and trophic linkages. 
Foraging behavior and ecology.

TB

 

Pace et al. 1999

Carpenter et al. 1985

 

Dec 1

 

Wetlands and water quality, pulse stability and hydroperiod. 

HG

 

[pdf]
Nahlik & Mitsch 2006

 

Dec
3, 8

  

Graduate student presentations

 all  

 

Dec
10

 

Catch-up, review, questions (and answers).

 

 

 

 

 

Dec 17

 

Final exam (10:15 am - 12:15 pm)

 

 

 

*  Kalff, J. 2002.  Limnology: Inland water ecosystems.  Prentice-Hall, New Jersey: 592 pp.
Reading assignments may change during the semester.

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