Ecology of Aquatic Invertebrates – WL 718

Fall 2008

Instructor:          Steven R. Chipps, Ph.D.

                          Assistant Unit Leader, USGS SD Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit

                          Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences

Office:               NPBL 141D

Office hours:    By appointment or when in my office

Phone/email:   688-5467; Steven.Chipps@sdstate.edu

Webpage:        http://wfs.sdstate.edu/chipps.htm

Lectures:          M W 9:00-9:50   SAS 127

Credit hours:   3

Lab:                  W 12:00-3:00   SNP 179

Course description 

This course covers the phylogeny, life-history, habitats and ecology of major freshwater invertebrates.  The use of invertebrate taxa as biomonitoring criteria and impacts from exotic/invasive species are also covered.  

Course objectives

To explore and discuss the ecological importance of aquatic invertebrates.  Students will gain knowledge about freshwater invertebrate taxonomy, develop an appreciation of ecological principles and theories associated with aquatic invertebrates and learn to apply what they’ve learned to address management problems. 

Course requirements

No text is required.  Topics are covered via lectures, assigned readings and handouts.  Reading material is placed on reserve in the Department’s library.  Class discussions are an integral part of the course.  Attendance and class participation are imperative.

Laboratory

Laboratory time will be devoted to sampling techniques, collecting/identifying aquatic invertebrates (field trip), and group projects.  Students will be expected to identify major invertebrate taxa and gain an appreciation for the role of invertebrates in aquatic food webs. 

Evaluation

Grades are based on a 10 pt scale (i.e., A=100-90, B=89-80, etc.) as follows:          

¹Students are entitled to reasonable accommodations under the provision of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Those in need of such accommodations should notify the instructor and make appropriate arrangements with the SDSU Office of Disabilities Services, 110 West Hall, 688-4504 or 688-4032.

²Review the Department’s Academic Dishonesty Policy (http://wfs.sdstate.edu/wfsdept) for procedural details that address plagiarism and cheating. 

Lecture/Discussion

(Ecology of Aquatic Invertebrates WL 718)

* PowerPoint Presentations

Overview of Freshwater Invertebrates

 Life-history and Ecology of Aquatic Insects

 Mayflies

 Stoneflies and Dragonflies

 Aquatic Beetles

 Caddisflies

 Diptera

 Life-history and Ecology of Crustacea

 Life-history and Ecology of Mollusca

 Biomonitoring

 Invasive/Exotic Species

 Assigned Readings – On reserve (SNP 164)

WL 718 Ecology of Aquatic Invertebrates

September 22        Discussion:  The Wetland Continuum

Euliss, N.H. and 8 coauthors.  2004.  The wetland continuum: a conceptual framework for interpreting biological studies.  Wetlands 24:448-458.

September 29                 Discussion:  Invertebrate drift

Kohler, S.L.  1985.  Identification of stream drift mechanisms: an experimental and observational approach.  Ecology 66:1749-1761.

October 8             Discussion:  Nutrient cycling

Gallep, G.W.  1979.  Chironomid influence on phosphorus release in sediment-water microcosms.  Ecology 60:547-556.

Covich, A.P., M.A. Palmer, and T.A. Crowl.  1999.  The role of benthic invertebrate species in freshwater ecosystems.  BioScience 49:119-127.

October 29           Discussion:  Predator avoidance

Dodson, S.I.  1974.  Adaptive change in plankton morphology in response to size-selective predation: a new hypothesis of cyclomorphosis.  Limnology and Oceanography 19:721-729.

Angelon, K.A., and J.W. Petranka.  2002.  Chemicals of predatory mosquitofish influence selection of oviposition site by Culex mosquitoes.  Journal of Chemical Ecology 28:797-806.

November 12          Discussion:  Zooplankton egg banks

Hairston, N.G., R.A. Van Brunt, C.M. Kearns, and D.R. Engstrom.  1995.  Age and survivorship of diapausing eggs in a sediment egg bank.  Ecology 76:1706-1711.

Hairston, N.G.  1996.  Zooplankton egg banks as biotic reservoirs in changing environments.  Limnology and Oceanography 41:1087-1092.

Hairston, N.G. and 8 co-authors.  1999.  Rapid evolution revealed by dormant eggs. Nature 401:446.

November 26         Discussion: Fish-waterfowl-invertebrate interactions

Zimmer, K.D., M.A. Hanson, M.G. Butler, and W.G. Duffy.  2001.  Size distribution of aquatic invertebrates in two prairie wetlands, with and without fish, with implications for community production.  Freshwater Biology 46:1373-1386.

Green, A.J., F. Figuerola.  2005.  Recent advances in the study of long-distance dispersal of aquatic invertebrates via birds.  Diversity and Distributions 11:149-156.

December 3           Discussion: Invertebrate biomonitoring

Merritt, R.W., M.J. Higgins,  K.W. Cummins, and B. Vandeneeden.  1999.  The Kissimmee River-riparian marsh ecosystem:  Seasonal differences in invertebrate functional feeding group relationships.  In Invertebrates in freshwater wetlands of North America; Batzer, Rader and Wissinger, eds. John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY.

King, R.S., and C.J. Richardson.  2002.  Evaluating subsampling approaches and macroinvertebrate taxonomic resolution for wetland bioassessment.  Journal of the North American Benthological Society 21:150-171.

December 10                   Discussion: Impacts of non-native species

Strayer, D.L. (4 coauthors).  1999.  Transformation of freshwater ecosystems by bivalves: A case study of zebra mussels in the Hudson River.  BioScience 49:19-27.

Jarnagin, S., B. Swan, and C. Kerfoot.  2000.  Fish as vectors in the dispersal of Bythotrephes cederstroemi: diapausing eggs survive passage through the gut. Freshwater Biology 43:579-589.

 Discussion Groups

ADA Policy

Students are entitled to reasonable accommodations under the provision of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Those in need of such accommodations should notify the instructor and make appropriate arrangements with the SDSU Office of Disabilities Services, 110 West Hall, 688-4504 or 688-4032.

Academic Freedom and Responsibility (BOR Policy 1:11)

“Freedom in learning. Students are responsible for learning the content of any course of study in which they are enrolled. Under Board of Regents and University policy, student academic performance shall be evaluated solely on an academic basis and students should be free to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in any course of study. Students who believe that an academic evaluation is unrelated to academic standards but is related instead to judgment of their personal opinion or conduct should first contact the instructor of the course. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may contact the department head and/or dean of the college which offers the class to initiate a review of the evaluation.”

Academic Dishonesty Policy

Review the Department’s Academic Dishonesty Policy (http://wfs.sdstate.edu/wfsdept) for procedural details that address plagiarism and cheating. 

The Department and the University have taken a strong and clear stand regarding academic dishonesty. We believe that it is unethical and unprofessional to present work done by others in a manner indicating that the student/s is/are presenting material as his/her original ideas or work; such activity is academic dishonesty. Plagiarizing or knowingly assisting others in plagiarizing on tests, quizzes, problems, assignments, research papers, theses, dissertations, or other academic activities is unacceptable behavior. All academic work completed by students is expected to be the original work of that individual student, unless permission is specifically granted beforehand by the faculty member for some form of team effort or other format. If students are unsure if a particular activity may be regarded as a form of academic dishonesty they should consult the faculty member before undertaking such an activity.

            The University has a policy on academic honesty, procedures for academic grade and dishonesty appeals, and sanctions for such activities (see Student Code). The Student Code has different procedures for undergraduate and graduate students.

            The Department policy described in this handout is intended to attempt to address perceived academic dishonesty violations between the faculty member/s and student/s before Student Code procedures are implemented. This is done because under Student Code procedures the minimum penalty for academic dishonesty is Disciplinary Probation. These added Department steps (Steps 1, 2, and 3 of the Undergraduate Student and Graduate Student Procedures) should not be construed as an attempt to circumvent the Student Code system; both students and/or the faculty member have the option to go directly into that system. The Department procedures portion of this policy are only available to a student one time; any second perceived offense will immediately follow the Student Code procedures.

Graduate Student Procedure

1.                  Same as Undergraduate Student Procedure step 1, except that the student’s advisor and/or Advisory Committee may be involved (see Student Code 02:05:01:02, 02:05:01:03, and 02:05:01:04).¹

2.                  Same as Undergraduate Student Procedure step 2, except that the student’s advisor and/or Advisory Committee may be involved (see Student Code 02:05:01:02, 02:05:01:03, and 02:05:01:04).

3.                  Same as Undergraduate Student Procedure step 3, except that the student’s advisor and/or Advisory Committee may be involved (see Student Code 02:05:01:02, 02:05:01:03, and 02:05:01:04).

4.                  If the student/s is/are still dissatisfied with the decision he/she can verbally appeal to the Graduate Dean. (These are steps 02:05:01:05, 02:05:01:06, and 02:05:01:07 in the Informal Phase Appeal process described in the Student Code.)

5.                  If all agree on the proposed sanction at this point, the process is completed. Up to this point, no one other than the student/s, faculty member, Graduate Dean, and possibly the student’s advisor and Advisory Committee has been made aware of the situation.

6.                  If the student/s, faculty member, advisor, or Advisory Committee are dissatisfied with the Graduate Dean’s decision they can enter the Formal Phase (Student Code 02:05:02) of the Student Code process. It is the responsibility of the student/s, faculty member, and student’s advisor and Advisory Committee to be aware of the procedures and penalties involved.

¹The student’s advisor and/or Advisory Committee may be included because items other than class work could be involved.