Course objective, Resources and Requirements:

Course objectives:
Aquatic biology is encompassed by the field of Limnology, or the study of inland waters, which integrates aspects of biology, chemistry, physics, hydrology, and ecology. Ideally, this course will combine selected information from all these fields to create a holistic view of lakes, streams and rivers. Emphasis will be on the synthesis of ideas. We'll survey a multitude of aquatic habitats and the plants and animals that live in them. In the process, I'll introduce some basic limnological techniques, emphasizing the need to quantify observations of both abiotic and biotic aspects of aquatic systems.

Course resources:
    Required Text: The Biology of Lakes and Ponds by Christer Brönmark and Lars-Anders Hansson (1998). This book is the Cliff-note version of the recommended text (see below), with a stronger emphasis on biology.  There is a sister volume to this text that covers streams and rivers (in the library).
    Recommended Text (for those who want the Limnological bible): Limnology by Wetzel (3rd edition, 2001). This book has it all, with great references and something about almost everything limnological, including rivers.
    Reserves:  The following texts are available on reserve at the Library. Every text explains certain sticky concepts differently; if you just aren't getting something, try these books.
    J. Kalff. 2002. Limnology.
    A.J. Horne and C.R. Goldman. 1994. Limnology. 2nd edition.
    Wetzel. 2001. Limnology. 3rd edition.
    J.D. Allen. 1995. Stream Ecology: Structure and function of running waters.
        
Course requirements:
Exam 1: 90 pts    Exam 2: 100 pts    Take-home Exam 3: 60 pts    Final Exam: 110 pts
Participation and class questions: 40 pts    All exams are cumulative.