• Instructor
• Text
• Course Content
• Class Meetings
• Grading

• Course Policy
• Books
• Journals
• Schedule

Zooplankton Ecology  |  2 cr. Spring 2001

Instructor:      John E. Havel, Ph.D.
                        Office:  KGSX 307      phone: 417/836-5308  
                        E-mail: johnhavel@missouristate.edu

Text:  Thorp, J.L., and A.P. Covich. 1991. Ecology and classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates. Academic Press, New York.

Course content:  This year’s course will focus on the biology of zooplankton.  The course will combine lectures, discussions of recent literature, field collections of ponds and lakes near Springfield (Missouri), identifications of common taxa, quantitative methods, and empirical and experimental projects.

Class meetings:  Mondays 1-4PM, KGSX 309 

Grading policy: 

            Participation in discussion                                            100
            (written study questions and oral participation)
            Participation in laboratories                                          100
            (attendance and attitude)
            Lab notebook #1                                                           50                   
            Lab notebook #2                                                           50
   
            TOTAL                                                                       300 pts.                              

            Letter grade cutoffs:  A—90%, B—80, C—70, D—60

Course policy:

·        Our in-class time will be split about evenly between discussion and laboratory. 

·        In the schedule, reading and assignments should be completed by the date listed.

·        As this is a graduate-level class, we will have no exams and spend very little time in lecture.   Good discussions will depend on your careful reading before each class.

·        Discussion periods will be used to discuss commonly-read chapters plus papers and for students to present primary journal articles ("Journal Club").  For each discussion of commonly-read chapters and papers, you will be required to turn in five study questions (including page references). 

·        For “Journal club”, turn in a one-two paragraph summary (plus a complete citation) and be prepared to give a 10-minute synopsis of the paper.

·        Laboratory will be split about evenly between microscopy and field trips.  You will also do at least one experiment.

·        For identifications, the taxonomic keys in your text (Thorp and Covich 1991) are up-to-date, but only go to genus or family.  You should also use more-specialized keys.  These and other reference books must stay in the lab.

·        All field results, drawings, etc. should be kept in an organized lab notebook.  Keep a table of contents, number all pages, and record your results on one side of the sheet.  (This leaves space for extra things which need to be inserted later.) Lab notebooks will be collected twice during the course for evaluation.

·        Drawings should be done on plain white paper, using colored pencils.  Include a scale bar plus information on the place and date sampled.  The best five drawings from each lab period should be taped or glued into the lab notebook.

·        For field trips, bring a pocket-sized notebook and pencil (not pen) and hip waders.  Some sizes of hip waders are available in the lab.  The rough field notes can be recopied into the lab notebook.

·        Field trips will go rain or shine and may extend beyond the scheduled time.
   

Some books relevant to zooplankton ecology

Balcer, M.D., N.L. Korda, and S.I. Dodson.  1984.  Zooplankton of  the Great Lakes.  The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison.

Brönmark, C., and L.-A. Hansson.  1998.  The biology of lakes and ponds.  Oxford University Press.

Carpenter, S.R. (ed.) 1988. Complex interactions in lake communities. Springer Verlag.

Edmondson, W.T. (ed.)  1959.  Freshwater biology.  John Wiley and Sons, New York.  2nd ed.  (a.k.a. "Ward and Whipple")

Hutchinson, G.E.  1967.  A treatise on limnology.  Vol. 2: Introduction to lake biology and the limnoplankton.  John Wiley and Sons, New York.

Kerfoot, W.C. (ed.)  1980.  Evolution and ecology of zooplankton communities.  University Press of New England, Hanover.

Kerfoot, W.C., and A. Sih. (eds.)  1987.  Predation: Direct and indirect impacts on aquatic communities.  University Press of New England, Hanover.

Lampert, W., and U. Sommer. 1997. Limnoecology: The ecology of lakes and streams.  Oxford University Press, New York.

Meyers, D.G., and J.R. Strickler. (eds.)  1984.  Trophic interactions within aquatic ecosystems.  Westview, Boulder.

Needham, J.G., and P.R. Needham.  1969.  A guide to the study of  freshwater biology.  Holden-Day, San Francisco.  5th ed.

Pennak, R.W.  1978.  Freshwater invertebrates of the United States.  John Wiley and Sons, New York.  2nd ed.

Sandhall, A., and H. Berggren.  1985.  Planktonkunde: Bilder aus der Mikrowelt von Teich und See.  Franckh.

Sommer, U. (ed.) 1989. Plankton ecology. Springer Verlag.

Stemberger, R.S.  1979.  A guide to rotifers of the Laurentian Great Lakes.  EPA-600/4-79-021.

Thorp, J.L., and A.P. Covich. 1991. Ecology and classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates. Academic Press, New York.

Wetzel, R.G.  1983.  Limnology.  Saunders, Philadelphia.  2nd ed.

Zaret, T.M.  1980.  Predation and freshwater communities.  Yale University Press, New Haven.

Journals with frequent zooplankton articles

For a complete listing of journals at the Missouri State library having frequent freshwater ecology articles, see this web site: http://biology.missouristate.edu/aquatic/journals.htm  Also see the library web page and then “SWAN” to search the library directly.

The following current journals have frequent zooplankton articles:

            Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences          
Ecological applications
Ecological monographs
Ecology
Freshwater biology
Journal of Plankton Research
Limnology and Oceanography
Marine Biology

In the Limnology Laboratory, we carry issues of Limnology and Oceanography (1978-present) and Ecology (1982-present) in room 310.  Ecology issues starting with 2000 are available only through the web.  See your instructor for the password.

In recent years, there has been an explosion of information available on the web.  For study of zooplankton, start with web sites listed in the Aquatic Biology web site:  http://biology.missouristate.edu/aquatic/offcampuswebs.htm#Zooplankton  

ZOOPLANKTON ECOLOGY SCHEDULE 2001

Date

Laboratory 

Assignments due

Introduction to zooplankton,
Zooplankton diversity

---

Jan 29

---

Study questions

Journal club

Journal article (select from stack)

Feb 12

NO CLASS

---

Rotifer biology

Chapter 8 (text)

Feb 26

Rotifer ID (cont.)

Study questions, drawings

---

Taxonomic keys

Mar 12

Cladoceran anatomy and ID

Drawings

Cladoceran biology

chapter 20

Mar 26

NO CLASS

---

---

---

Apr   9

Culture methods and the life table

T.B.A.

Copepod biology

chapter 21

Apr 23

Copepod anatomy and ID

study questions, drawings

---

taxonomic keys

May 7

Predator-prey ecology           

T.B.A.

“Zooplankton theatre”?
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Copyright 1999 John E. Havel
This page last updated September 22, 2005.