I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Limnology

2. Course Prefix & Number:
NATR 1140

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 2

Lab Hours: 2

4. Course Description:

This course develops basic knowledge in the study of freshwater systems.  It discusses the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of streams and lakes; as well as the influence of water in our environment and the ecology related to organisms and ecosystems through which it flows.   The importance of aquatic productivity is also considered.

5. Placement Tests Required:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

Name of Institution	Course Number and Title	Credits
U of M Crookston	Bio 3722 Limnology	3
U of Wisconsin Steven’s Point	Natural Resources 251, Soils 360, and Water 380 but is only taken if NATR 2155 and 2120 are taken.  Will transfer for water 380 if taken alone	3

2. Transfer - regional institutions with which this course has a written articulation agreement:

Name of Institution	Date of Acceptance	Discipline/Area/Program of Transfer
U of M Crookston	2010	Water Resources Management
University of Wisconsin Steven’s Point	2007-2009	Natural Resources, Soils and Water

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):

Natural Resources Technology, AAS Degree

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Analyze and follow a sequence of operations	Use water testing kits, following a sequence of operations to assess different chemicals found in the lake
Utilize appropriate technology	Use different kinds of equipment and technology to collect water samples, plankton samples and other water data in the field

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Analyze chemical components of a water sample.
• Assess overall quality of lake or stream from various data.
• Assess plankton populations.
• Identify various insect larva and make conclusion as to water quality of a lake or stream.
• Compute flow rate of water in a stream.
• Compute water volumes of the various layers of lake.
• Compute the percentage of littoral zone in relation to the lake area.
• Work safely in the field and around equipment and chemicals.
• Identify common aquatic plants.

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. I.Introduction to Limnology
• Early inventions and techniques
• Environmentalism Vs. Traditional Science
• The Role of Modeling and Statistical Thinking in Limnology
• Mesocosms and Whole-Lake Experiments
• Field Stations, Journals and Associations
2. Setting the Stage:Water as an Environment
• Fundamental characteristics
• Vertical Stratification
• Vertical Profiles of Oxygen
• Vertical Profiles of Light
• Vertical profiles of Living organisms
• Primary productivity
• Interactions of Heat and Light
• Organisms
• Water Movements
3. Diversity of Aquatic Organisms:Single Celled Colonial Organisms
• Taxonomy, structure, habitat, behavior, life cycle and economic importance
• Prokaryotes
• Eukaryotes
• Protista
• Fungi
4. Diversity of Aquatic Organisms: Rotifers, Annelids, and Arthropods
• Rotifers
• Annelids
• Branchiopods
• Copepods
• Malacostracans
• Insects
5. Diversity of Aquatic Organisms:Larger Organisms
• Mollusks, Fishes, Reptiles – Discuss, but not great length because students have all of these in Ichthyology, Mammalogy, and Herpetology
• Plants and the ecology of plants within the aquatic system
6. Population Dynamics in Limnology
7. Community Ecology:Species interaction and Community Structure
8. Freshwater Communities Changing through Time
9. Aquatic Ecosystems and Energy Flow
10. Aquatic Ecosystems, Chemical Cycles
11. Water in the Landscapes

2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions

1. Metrics and Metric equations
2. Water Sampling and using the Hack Kits and other equipment – 3 weeks sampling different Lakes (Oligotrophic, Mesotrophic  and Eutrophic) and getting a vertical temperature profile under the ice. 
3. Micro and Macro Invertebrate Sampling – using plankton nets and bioscopes – 3 weeks different Lakes
4. Stream Studies – using  Hack kits, stream drift nets, Eckman Dredge – 2 - 3 weeks
5. Stream flow studies to determine the volume of water flowing in a stream and what that means a lake coming and going out. 2 – 3 Weeks
6. Helping to work at our Earth Day Fair – Macroinvertebrate Identification and Posters