BIOEE 4760

Biology of Fishes

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2014-2015.

Introduction to the study of fishes: their structure, physiology and functional morphology, behavior, ecology, diversity, evolution, classification, and identification. Emphasizes marine fishes from different habitats (temperate, tropical coral reef, intertidal, and deep sea); local freshwater species; and interesting freshwater fishes from around the world, especially South America and Africa.

When Offered Fall.

Fees Small lab fee may be required.
Permission Note Enrollment limited to: 24 students.
Prerequisites/Corequisites Recommended prerequisite: BIOEE 2740 or BIOSM 2740 or equivalent experience in vertebrate zoology.

Distribution Category (PBS)

Comments Two field trips, including one full-day weekend trip required. Live animals are studied in the field and are sometimes used in the laboratory for nondestructive demonstrations or experiments. The systematics and dissection laboratories use preserved specimens.

• Students will understand the organismal biology of fishes, including their structure, physiology, functional morphology, and behavior.
• Students will be able to use their knowledge of the fundamental biology of fishes in any basic research or applied context.
• Students will understand the phylogeny of fishes and how it is reconstructed.
• Students will be able to interpret phylogenies and use tree thinking in the service of any kind of biological research field.
• Students will become familiar with the taxonomy and phenotypic diversity of the world's fishes as well as human-induced challenges to that diversity.
• Through study of the local fish fauna, students will be able to apply the tools of fish identification to learn a new fauna in any region of the world.
• Students will give class presentations about human-induced challenges to the persistence of fish diversity.

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