BIO-246 Limnology
An introduction to the scientific study of inland waters, limnology concerns itself with all the factors that affect living populations within those waters. Through lecture and field experiences, the student will become familiar with physical and chemical processes in water, especially those that have a direct effect on biological organisms. Standard methods and highly technical instrumentation will be used on board the college’s educational vessel. A survey of life forms and identification skills will be emphasized as well as aquatic community structure and interactions.
Cross Listed Courses
CON-246
For more detailed course information view the
Course Outline
Department
Science and Technology
Course Description
An introduction to the scientific study of inland waters, limnology concerns itself with all the factors that affect living populations within those waters. Through lecture and field experiences, the student will become familiar with physical and chemical processes in water, especially those that have a direct effect on biological organisms. Standard methods and highly technical instrumentation will be used on board the college’s educational vessel. A survey of life forms and identification skills will be emphasized as well as aquatic community structure and interactions.
Credit Hours
4Course Learning Outcomes
- Students will comprehend the historical development of the science of limnology, it's multidisciplinary nature, and the complex issues affecting modern water resource management
- Students will demonstrate identification skills for aquatic organisms as well as knowledge of their taxonomic classification
- Students will recognize the impact of invasive species on the structure of function of aquatic communities
- Students will be able to successfully operate state-of-the-art limnology field equipment including water quality data loggers, Van Dorn samplers, bottom dredges, plankton nets, and fisheries equipment as well as standard laboratory instruments including weighing balances, dissecting microscopes and spectrophotometers
Topic Outline
Lecture Topics:
- Introduction to limnology
- Characteristics of water
- Vertical temperature profiles
- Lake mixing events
- Vertical oxygen profiles
- Underwater light environment
- Heat budgets
- Water movements
- Ripples, waves and seiches
- Diversity of aquatic organisms
- Prokaryotes, Protista, fungi
- Rotifers, annelids, branchiopods
- Copepods, malacostracans, insects
- Mollusks, fishes, and other large animals
- Aquatic macrophytes
- Introduction to population dynamics
- Life history strategies
- Ecology of aquatic communities
- Community interactions and community structure
- Community change and invasive species
- Primary and secondary production
- Carbon cycle, oxygen cycle
- Nutrient dynamics: phosphorus and nitrogen cycles
- Sizes and shapes of lakes and streams
- Lake and stream origins
- Watershed management and applied limnology
Laboratory topics:
- Physical limnology of the Finger Lakes
- Heat budgets and resistance to mixing
- Introduction to plankton
- Macrophyte communities in Honeoye Lake
- Aquatic invasive species
- Introduction to macro-organisms
- Residential experience at a local field station
- Field collection of stream data on the Honeoye
- Outlet and Mill Creek
- Field collection of stream data on Eelpot Creek
- Food-web models
- Primary productivity of lakes and ponds
- Limnological statistics
- Production of morphometric maps
- Lab practical exam