I. General Information
1. Course Title:
Ichthyology
2. Course Prefix & Number:
NATR 1125
3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:
Credits: 3
Lecture Hours: 2
Lab Hours: 2
4. Course Description:
This course will review the biology, ecology, and identification of fish, with special emphasis on Minnesota fish. Students will explore taxonomy and evolutionary relationships of fish, anatomy and physiology, life history, diversity, behavior, and ecology of fish. Lab sessions will introduce students to the more than 150 species of fish native to Minnesota with emphasis on taxonomy and identification.
5. Placement Tests Required:
6. Prerequisite Courses:
NATR 1125 - Ichthyology
There are no prerequisites for this course.
9. Co-requisite Courses:
NATR 1125 - Ichthyology
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
|
|
Bemidji State University
|
BIOL 4534 Ichthyology
|
4
|
|
University of Minnesota, Duluth
|
BIOL 4761 Ichthyology
|
3
|
III. Course Purpose
Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):
|
Name of Program(s)
|
Program Type
|
|
Freshwater Studies
|
AS
|
IV. Learning Outcomes
1. College-Wide Outcomes
| College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies |
Students will be able to: |
| Demonstrate written communication skills |
demonstrate their understanding the taxonomy, biology, and ecology of fish through written evaluations. |
| Analyze and follow a sequence of operations |
demonstrate the proper application of fish identification keys, using external anatomy features to distinguish between different fish families and species. |
| Discuss/compare characteristics of diverse cultures and environments |
contrast and compare the function and values placed upon groups of fish (game fish, natives, and exotics) by different user groups. |
2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of
the course:
|
Expected Outcome
|
MnTC
Goal Area
|
|
Students will demonstrate the proper application of fish identification keys, using external anatomy features to identify fish to family and species levels.
|
|
|
Students will understand the unique anatomical features and their functions that allow fish to function in an aquatic environment.
|
|
|
Students will understand the relationship between fish and their physical and biological environments that determine their distribution, abundance, and behavior.
|
|
|
Students will understand the underlying evolutionary and genetic factors that predispose fish to limits in their distributions.
|
|
V. Topical Outline
Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.
1. Lecture Sessions
|
Review the development of the discipline of ichthyology, including taxonomy and evolution. Individual topics include…
- Development of Ichthyology
- Taxonomy
- Evolution and evolutionary mechanisms
- Architecture of fish
|
|
Discuss the types, locations, and importance of musculature in fish, specifically in locomotion and buoyancy . Individual topics include…
- Integument
- Muscles
- Locomotion
- Buoyancy
|
|
Review the sensory array of vertebrates and discuss the adaptations to these sensing systems by fish for life in an
aquatic environment. Individual topics include…
- The eye and vision in fish
- Properties of light in water
- Hearing
- Olfaction
- Gustation
- Lateral line system
|
|
Discuss the use and acquisition of food in fish. Individual topics include…
- Adaptations in the fish skull for food capture and handling
- Digestive tract and its elements/functions
- Nutrition and dietary requirements
|
|
Introduce students to the challenges fish face in balancing solutions and gasses in an aquatic environment. Individual
topics include…
- Circulation systems in fish and their components/functions
- Respiration and metabolism
- Gas exchange
- Osmotic regulation systems in freshwater and saltwater
|
|
Discuss the reproductive systems and underlying genetic mechanisms of fish. Individual topics include…
- Reproductive systems and organs in fish
- Reproductive strategies
- Genetics, natural selection, and speciation
|
|
Introduce students to how the internal systems of fish allow them to respond to their environment (their ecology and
behavior). Individual topics include …
- Distribution of fish species and limitations to distributions
- Interactions of fish with lentic and lotic physical environments
- Interactions of fish with biologic elements of their communities
|
2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions
|
Laboratory sessions will introduce students to dichotomous identification keys and external anatomical features used by the keys. Each week a different group of Minnesota fish will be introduced. The sequence of laboratory sessions includes …
- taxonomy
- internal and external anatomy
- Gnathostomes; Acipenseridae, Polyudontidae, Lepisosteidae, and Amiidae
- Hiondontidae, Anguillidae, Clupeidae, and Catastomidae
- Cyprinidae
- Ictaluridae
- Salmonidae and Osmeridae
- Escoidae, Umbridae, Aphredoderidae, Percospidae, and Gadidae
- Cyprinodontidae, Poecillidae, Atherinidae, Gasterosteidae, and Cottidae
- Percichtyidae and Centrarchidae
- Percidae and Aciaenidae
|
I. General Information
1. Course Title:
Ichthyology
2. Course Prefix & Number:
NATR 1125
3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:
Credits: 3
Lecture Hours: 2
Lab Hours: 2
4. Course Description:
This course will review the biology, ecology, and identification of fish, with special emphasis on Minnesota fish. Students will explore taxonomy and evolutionary relationships of fish, anatomy and physiology, life history, diversity, behavior, and ecology of fish. Lab sessions will introduce students to the more than 150 species of fish native to Minnesota with emphasis on taxonomy and identification.
5. Placement Tests Required:
6. Prerequisite Courses:
NATR 1125 - Ichthyology
There are no prerequisites for this course.
9. Co-requisite Courses:
NATR 1125 - Ichthyology
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
|
|
Bemidji State University
|
BIOL 4534 Ichthyology
|
4
|
|
University of Minnesota, Duluth
|
BIOL 4761 Ichthyology
|
3
|
III. Course Purpose
1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):
|
Name of Program(s)
|
Program Type
|
|
Freshwater Studies
|
AS
|
IV. Learning Outcomes
1. College-Wide Outcomes
| College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies |
Students will be able to: |
| Demonstrate written communication skills |
demonstrate their understanding the taxonomy, biology, and ecology of fish through written evaluations. |
| Analyze and follow a sequence of operations |
demonstrate the proper application of fish identification keys, using external anatomy features to distinguish between different fish families and species. |
| Discuss/compare characteristics of diverse cultures and environments |
contrast and compare the function and values placed upon groups of fish (game fish, natives, and exotics) by different user groups. |
2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of
the course:
|
Expected Outcome
|
MnTC
Goal Area
|
|
Students will demonstrate the proper application of fish identification keys, using external anatomy features to identify fish to family and species levels.
|
|
|
Students will understand the unique anatomical features and their functions that allow fish to function in an aquatic environment.
|
|
|
Students will understand the relationship between fish and their physical and biological environments that determine their distribution, abundance, and behavior.
|
|
|
Students will understand the underlying evolutionary and genetic factors that predispose fish to limits in their distributions.
|
|
V. Topical Outline
Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.
1. Lecture Sessions
|
Review the development of the discipline of ichthyology, including taxonomy and evolution. Individual topics include…
- Development of Ichthyology
- Taxonomy
- Evolution and evolutionary mechanisms
- Architecture of fish
|
|
Discuss the types, locations, and importance of musculature in fish, specifically in locomotion and buoyancy . Individual topics include…
- Integument
- Muscles
- Locomotion
- Buoyancy
|
|
Review the sensory array of vertebrates and discuss the adaptations to these sensing systems by fish for life in an
aquatic environment. Individual topics include…
- The eye and vision in fish
- Properties of light in water
- Hearing
- Olfaction
- Gustation
- Lateral line system
|
|
Discuss the use and acquisition of food in fish. Individual topics include…
- Adaptations in the fish skull for food capture and handling
- Digestive tract and its elements/functions
- Nutrition and dietary requirements
|
|
Introduce students to the challenges fish face in balancing solutions and gasses in an aquatic environment. Individual
topics include…
- Circulation systems in fish and their components/functions
- Respiration and metabolism
- Gas exchange
- Osmotic regulation systems in freshwater and saltwater
|
|
Discuss the reproductive systems and underlying genetic mechanisms of fish. Individual topics include…
- Reproductive systems and organs in fish
- Reproductive strategies
- Genetics, natural selection, and speciation
|
|
Introduce students to how the internal systems of fish allow them to respond to their environment (their ecology and
behavior). Individual topics include …
- Distribution of fish species and limitations to distributions
- Interactions of fish with lentic and lotic physical environments
- Interactions of fish with biologic elements of their communities
|
2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions
|
Laboratory sessions will introduce students to dichotomous identification keys and external anatomical features used by the keys. Each week a different group of Minnesota fish will be introduced. The sequence of laboratory sessions includes …
- taxonomy
- internal and external anatomy
- Gnathostomes; Acipenseridae, Polyudontidae, Lepisosteidae, and Amiidae
- Hiondontidae, Anguillidae, Clupeidae, and Catastomidae
- Cyprinidae
- Ictaluridae
- Salmonidae and Osmeridae
- Escoidae, Umbridae, Aphredoderidae, Percospidae, and Gadidae
- Cyprinodontidae, Poecillidae, Atherinidae, Gasterosteidae, and Cottidae
- Percichtyidae and Centrarchidae
- Percidae and Aciaenidae
|