ENR 5350.02
Taxonomy and Behavior of Fishes
Syllabus and Class Schedule
Spring 2014
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Suzanne M. Gray
Office: 420B Kottman Hall
Phone: 614-292-4643
Email: [email protected]
*when emailing, please include “ENR5350.02” in the subject line*
GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT:
Name: TBD
Office:
Email:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The objective of this course is to introduce students to the great diversity of fishes,
especially the fishes of Ohio. Freshwater fish comprise more than 30% of all vertebrate
species, yet available freshwaters make up only 1% of Earth’s habitats. In this course
we will explore this incredible diversity through the study of fish taxonomy and behavior,
with an emphasis on understanding the evolutionary relationships between taxa and the
ways that fish have adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions, including
environmental variation caused by human activity.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. Learn to identify the major groups of fishes and their evolutionary relationships.
2. Learn the basic biology of fishes, including morphology and anatomy, behavior, form
and function.
3. Learn to identify the major groups of Ohio fishes and to ID the most common fishes to
species-level.
4. Identify morphological and behavioral adaptations to diverse environments.
5. Learn basic fish collection and preservation skills.
6. Consider the effects of human activities on the diversity of fishes.
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COURSE STRUCTURE:
Lectures - two per week: Tuesday 12:40 – 1:35 (Kottman Hall 370*)
Thursday 12:40 – 1:35 (Kottman Hall 370)
Labs – one per week:
Tuesday 2:20 – 5:20 (Wetlands Centre)
*If the class is in agreement, we will hold Tuesday lecture at the Wetlands
Centre)
LABORATORY AND FIELD ACTIVITIES:
Labs will be used to gain hands-on experience identifying fishes, with an emphasis on
Ohio fishes. While identification skills are being learned, students will also be asked to
critically evaluate the morphological features we use to ID the fish, identify
similarities/differences between distantly and closely related groups, and consider the
linkages between these traits and the environments where the fish are found. Integrated
with taxonomy labs will be time spent observing fish behavior.
In late spring, labs will be devoted to collecting, preserving, and identifying fishes found
in local streams, rivers and ponds. The goal of field sampling will be to familiarize
students with fish collection and handling methods, preservation techniques, and
identifying live specimens. Appropriate clothing should be worn for field labs. Waders
and rubber boots are available for use at the Wetlands Centre or you can bring your
own.
GRADING:
Quizzes = 25%
Lab and Field Notebook = 40%
Presentations = 20%
Attendance and Participation =15%
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COURSE MATERIAL AND RESOURCES
Required Text
Barton, M. 2007. Bond’s Biology of Fishes (3rd Ed.). Thomson/Brooks Cole,
Pp.891.
Required Equipment
Student Dissection Kit (available at the book store)
Highly Recommended (but not required)
Hubbs, C.L. and Lagler, K.F. (revised by Smith G.R.).2004. Fishes of the Great
Lakes Region. The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbour. Pp 276.
Note: copies will be available in lab for ID purposes.
Other Resources
Moyle, P.B. and Cech, J.J. 2004. Fishes: An Introduction to Ichthyology (5th Ed.).
Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pp. 726.
Trautman, M.B. 1981. The Fishes of Ohio (revised Ed.). Ohio State University
Press, Columbus. Pp. 782.
Holm, E., Mandrak, N.E., and Burridge, M. 2008. The ROM Field Guide to
Freshwater Fishes of Ontario. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario. Pp. 432.
Magnhagen, C., Braithwaite, V.A., and Forsgren, E. 2008. Fish Behaviour. CRC
Press. Pp. 662.
Web Resources:
The class website on CARMEN will be used to make announcements, promote
peer-peer discussions, post additional readings, etc. Please check it often.
http://www.fishbase.org/search.php
http://currents.plos.org/treeoflife/article/the-tree-of-life-and-a-new-classificationof-bony-fishes/
http://research.calacademy.org/redirect?url=http://researcharchive.calacademy.or
g/research/Ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp
http://swordtail.tamu.edu/anyfish/Main_Page
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/fishtree_01
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Readings: For each lab and lecture there will be assigned readings from the required
text (see table below). There will occasionally be additional readings assigned for
discussion in class. These additional readings will be posted on Carmen. Readings are
meant to augment material covered in lecture and solidify your understanding of the
general concepts presented.
STUDENT EVALUATION
Quizzes (25%): There will be three, in-class lecture quizzes worth 5% each. There will
be NO final examination. Quizzes will cover material presented in lecture, lab, class
presentations, videos, and assigned readings (i.e. the answer to the question, “Will this
be on the quiz?”, is “YES”). Quizzes are not cumulative, but having a good grasp of the
major themes presented throughout the semester (e.g. reproductive behavior, habitat
preference, etc.) will help you to do well on the quizzes. There will also be one in-lab
practical quiz at the end of the semester worth 10% of your total grade. This practical
quiz will test the identification skills you have learned throughout the course. All quizzes
are mandatory. Make-up quizzes will only be administered for those students with
documented excuses (e.g. health or family emergency).
Lab and Field Notebook (40%): Instructions will be available on Carmen before each
lab. You should read this information BEFORE coming to lab. Each lab will have a
series of activities/questions that you will be required to do/answer, either in your
notebook or to be handed-in. At the end of the semester you will turn in your notebook
for final grading. For all in-lab work you are encouraged to provide detailed notes (e.g. if
dissecting a fish, make labeled line drawings in your book; if identifying a fish, give the
route of identification through the dichotomous key used to arrive at your final species
assessment; in the field make a sketch of the habitat being sampled).
Presentations (20%): Students will work in groups of two (graduate students must work
individually) to create a presentation (15 min + 5 min discussion) and a class hand-out
about an Order of fishes found in Ohio. A presentation schedule will be posted the first
week of class, with Orders assigned to a date. Groups will sign up for a time slot/topic.
A detailed description of how to design your presentation will be discussed in class and
instructions posted on Carmen.
Participation (15%): Marks for participation will come from a variety of in-class
assignments and discussions. For example, minute papers will be generated on certain
topics, “Catch of the Day” – 3 minute speed presentation on recent news article
involving fish (example will be given in class; 3 slide maximum sent by midnight the day
before class), etc. Missing class will result in a lower participation mark.
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Schedule of Lectures and Labs
*Note: this schedule is subject to change as the course progresses
Week
Date
Lecture Topic
1
01/07
Course outline
What is a fish?
Terminology
Origins of fishes
01/09
Major adaptations to life
in water
2
01/14
Agnatha: Jawless vs.
Gnathostomes: Jawed
Fishes
Lecture
Readings
Ch. 1
Ch. 2
Ch. 3 (p.
32)
Ch. 5 & 6
Lab topic
Lab
Readings
Lab outline
Intro to phylogeny
Dichotomous Keys
Morphology and Anatomy
Museum Tour (4:00 to 5:00)
Ch.3
Groups 1 & 2
Petromyzontiformes (lampreys)
Acipenseriformes (sturgeons,
paddlefishes)
Lepisosteiformes (gars)
Amiiformes (bowfin)
Ch.5 (8992, 9496)
Ch. 8
(153-157)
Group 3
Cypriniformes/Cyprinidae (minnows
and carps)
Ch. 10
(181-182)
Group 4
Cypriniformes/Cyprinidae(cont’d) &
Catostomidae (suckers)
Ch. 10
(181-182)
Groups 5 & 6
Siluriformes (catfish)
Esociformes (pikes, mudminnows)
Ch. 10
(186-189)
Ch. 12
(206-207)
Group 7 & 8
Salmoniformes (salmon, trout,
whitefish)
Cyprinodontiformes (killifishes,
livebearers)
Ch. 11
(196-203)
Ch. 15.
(244-246)
Development
01/16
Osteichthyes: Intro to
the Bony Fishes
Ch. 7
Respiration
3
01/21
Actinopterygii: Intro
to the Ray-finned
Fishes
Ch. 8
Locomotion
01/23
Teleostei!
Ch. 9
Diversity!
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01/28
Quiz #1
01/30
Cypriniformes
Ch. 10
Freshwater adaptations
5
02/04
Cypriniformes
Foraging behavior
02/06
Cypriniformes
Habitat choice
6
02/11
Siluriformes
Sensing the environment
02/13
Esociformes
Ch. 12
Communication
7
02/18
Salmoniformes
Reproductive behavior
Ch. 11
5
02/20
Cyprinodoniformes
Reproductive diversity
8
02/25
Sleek and Spiny
Predator avoidance
9
02/27
Quiz #2
03/04
Perciformes
Ch. 16
Habitat choice
03/06
Groups 9 & 10
Atheriniformes (silversides)
Gasterosteiformes (sticklebacks)
Scorpaeniformes (sculpins)
Ch. 15
(238-239;
240-242)
Ch. 17
(270-272)
Group 11
Perciformes/ Percidae (perches,
darters)
Ch. 16
(215-267)
Perciformes
Fish communities
10
03/11
03/13
11
03/18
Spring Break – no
class
Spring Break – no
class
Perciformes
Spring Break – no lab
Groups 12 & 13
Perciformes/ Centrarchidae
(sunfishes, basses), Moronidae
(temperate basses), Sciaenidae
(drums), Gobiidae (gobies)
Game and sport fish in
Ohio
03/20
12
13
14
03/25
03/27
04/01
04/03
04/08
04/10
15
04/15
04/17
The weird and the
wonderful
More diversity
Fish as Indicators
Biodiversity Indices
Collection Methods
Sampling Designs
Human-impacts (on
individuals)
Human-impacts (on
populations)
Review – lecture
Quiz #3
Ch. 16
(215-267)
Ch. 17
Field Collection
Field Collection
Field Collection
Lab practical quiz/Notebooks Due
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Academic Misconduct
Academic integrity is essential to maintaining an environment that fosters excellence in
teaching, research, and other educational and scholarly activities. Thus, The Ohio State
University and the Committee on Academic Misconduct (COAM) expect that all students
have read and understand the University’s Code of Student Conduct, and that all
students will complete all academic and scholarly assignments with fairness and
honesty. Students must recognize that failure to follow the rules and guidelines
established in the University’s Code of Student Conduct and this syllabus may
constitute “Academic Misconduct.”
The Ohio State University’s Code of Student Conduct (Section 3335-23-04) defines
academic misconduct as: “Any activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity
of the University, or subvert the educational process.” Examples of academic
misconduct include (but are not limited to) plagiarism, collusion (unauthorized
collaboration), copying the work of another student, and possession of unauthorized
materials during an examination. Ignorance of the University’s Code of Student Conduct
is never considered an “excuse” for academic misconduct, so I recommend that you
review the Code of Student Conduct and, specifically, the sections dealing with
academic misconduct.
If I suspect that a student has committed academic misconduct in this course, I am
obligated by University Rules to report my suspicions to the Committee on Academic
Misconduct. If COAM determines that you have violated the University’s Code of
Student Conduct (i.e., committed academic misconduct), the sanctions for the
misconduct could include a failing grade in this course and suspension or dismissal
from the University.
Disability
Students with disabilities that have been certified by the Office for Disabilities Services
(http://www.ods.ohiostate.edu/default.asp) will be appropriately accommodated, and
should inform the instructor as soon as possible of their needs.
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