Biology of Fishes
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What is it? Ichthyology is the study of the phylogenetic relationships, biology, and zoogeography of living and extinct fishes. Emphasis will be placed on the functional morphology, physiology, sensory biology, reproduction, and ecological relationships of living fishes. We will obtain a thorough knowledge of the taxonomy and natural history of southeastern freshwater and marine fishes through fieldtrips and laboratory reviews. We will boldly go where no terrestrial ecologist has gone before. I will give you a list of all taxonomic terms that you must know for this class. Unfortunately, there are quite a few, which you will master through the painful but necessary process of rote memorization. The goal is for you to become familiar with the major groups of fishes found in North America. You will also learn about 50 common species from the southeast. Tentative lecture topics
Instructor who? Frank Jordan (Associate Professor and Slayer of Fishes) Meeting time and place See current Schedule of Classes for meeting place and time. Order of lecture and labs varies from week depending on local field trips. There are several weekend collecting trips for this course. In the past, we have gone to Seahorse Key Marine Laboratory in Florida, Fourchon Marine Laboratory in Louisiana, Pass-a-Loutre Wildlife Managment Camp in Louisiana, and Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee. Blackboard and email All course materials and communications will be facilitated via Blackboard. You are responsible for all materials placed on Blackboard and you should check the Blackboard site regularly for new additions. You should also check your email regularly for last minute updates, modifications, jokes, etc. You will be added to the Animal Behavior site on Blackboard during the first week of classes. Required textbooks Download and print notes from Blackboard, handouts, and texts on reserve in Monroe Library. Research paper In order to strengthen your writing, computer, and quantitative skills, you will be writing a 5-10 page research paper describing the findings of our laboratory exercise on reproduction in sailfin mollies or another common species. You must use at least 5 different journal articles as references in the preparation of this paper. You must submit your paper to the Writing Across the Curriculum lab before submission of your first draft. I will grade these and return their bloodied remains. You will then revise them and return the final drafts to me. Lab activities In addition to learning the taxonomy of major groups of southeastern fishes, we will process our field collections, learn the major features of external and internal anatomy, examine gill structure in several species, assess reproduction in sailfin mollies, clean and label a skull, and maybe even clear and stain a skeleton. Other stuff will be snuck in lab and during fieldtrips so that I'm absolutely sure you're getting your money's worth for this course. Field trip stuff You will get wet, dirty, and odoriferous while collecting fishes during field trips. Wear clothes that you hate. You must wear shoes while sampling. Old tennis shoes are fine. Bug spray and sunscreen may be of some use. If you have a roomy vehicle, I may ask you to volunteer to help taxi to and from collecting sites if necessary. Please meet at the designated time and place so that we can get out in the field ASAP. If you aren't having a good time, then just pretend you're happy! Tests, grading, and other nastiness You will have eight (8) quizzes and three (3) exams that contain both lecture and lab material. Exams will be quasi-cumulative in nature and consist of a pleasant mixture of short answers, matching, essays, naming parts and their functions, identifying fishes to various levels of taxonomic resolution, and short questions concerning habitats and lifestyles of the richly aromatic and famously scaly, or anything else we discuss. Pay attention during the field trips! Your third exam is the final exam and is no more cumulative than preceding lecture exams. As usual, your grade will be determined using a complex system involving live sacrifice, casting of chicken bones, reading of entrails, and divine piscine revelation from the Holy Shad. Actually, your quizzes, exams, research paper, and miscellaneous lab assignments are worth a total of about 800 points. Receiving 60% of these points earns you a D, 70% of these points earns you a C, 80% of these points earns you a B, and 90% of these points earns you an A! I will drop your lowest quiz score. You may not miss an exam because of the difficulty of setting them up in the first place. You will receive 0's on any tests that you miss. Although you download and print the notes, you will quickly realize that I add supplementary material during lectures and that this material is highly likely to show up on tests! Therefore, please come to class. Attendance on field trips is mandatory. I will deduct 10% from your final grade for each missed field trip! There are no excused absences on field trips. If you must miss a trip, let me know in advance and I will assign a 10-page research paper to compensate for the material you miss in the field. You will receive the same grade in lecture and lab (i.e., they are averaged together). Advice and stuff There is no attendance policy for lecture. Although you will receive copies of my notes and have the textbook, you will quickly realize that I add supplementary material during lectures and that this material is highly likely to show up on tests! Therefore, please come to class. I do not have review sessions, but I am available virtually 24/7 via email to address your questions. I often forward questions and answers to everyone in the course. "A student with a disability that qualifies for accommodations should contact Disability Services at 865-2990 (Academic Resource Center, Room 405, Monroe Hall). A student wishing to receive test accommodations (e.g., extended test time) should provide the instructor with an official Accommodation Form from Disability Services in advance of the scheduled test date." Of course, you should feel free to contact me whenever you need help with this course, life, the universe, or anything. I would be happy to hear your abbreviated life stories and your projected life-history trajectories. I don't have any money, so don't ask. Finally, please feel free to offer suggestions and constructive criticism as the semester progresses. I strive to continually improve this course. |
