NTRES 4560

NTRES 4560

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2021-2022.

Lecture examines patterns and processes in stream ecosystems, including geomorphology and hydrology, watershed-stream interactions, trophic dynamics, biogeochemistry, disturbance, and conservation and management. Field and laboratory exercises focus on experimental and analytical techniques used to study stream ecosystems, including techniques to measure stream discharge, physical habitat, water chemistry, and stream biota. Field project with lab papers.

When Offered Fall.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: BIOEE 1610 or permission of instructor.

Comments During the optional field trip, students will travel to stream sites from the headwaters of the Susquehanna River basin to its mainstem, evaluating how the stream environment and biota shift from upstream to downstream. This field experience will complement the field lab exercises and lecture topics, helping students to enrich their understanding of stream ecology across the landscape. No option for partial participation on the trip. Not offered every year.

Outcomes
  • Students will understand the morphology and classification of streams based on channel formation and characteristics of stream networks and watersheds.
  • Students will understand the basic chemical and physical dynamics of stream ecosystems.
  • Students will be familiar with the important organic matter sources that fuel running water ecosystems.
  • Students will understand the major longitudinal, vertical, and lateral linkages that connect streams to the surrounding land- and riverscape.
  • Students will gain knowledge and appreciation of the tremendous diversity of stream ecosystems found around the world, along with basic characteristics that distinguish them.
  • Students will learn common groups of stream biota including fish, invertebrates, and stream algae.
  • Students will gain knowledge of the importance of different biotic interactions and abiotic factors that shape patterns and processes in stream ecosystems.
  • Students will learn basic conceptual models that link stream ecosystem structure and function.
  • Students will gain basic knowledge of stream conservation biology, factors contributing to degradation of stream environments, and strategies for the restoration of damaged running water ecosystems.
  • Students will conduct field and lab exercises throughout the course to familiarize them with methods for collecting and analyzing stream ecological data. Students will engage in a semester-long project in which they set up a field experiment, collect and analyze samples from their experiment, and summarize and interpret experimental results.

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi:
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one laboratory. Field studies optional. Combined with: BIOEE 4560

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  3098 NTRES 4560   LEC 001

    • MW Fernow Hall G24
    • Aug 26 - Dec 7, 2021
    • Flecker, A

      McIntyre, P

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Graduate students interested in this course may audit LECTURE only by permission. Contact tmc58 to receive a permission code. The course includes an optional Saturday field trip to stream sites from the headwaters of the Susquehanna River basin to its mainstem, evaluating how the stream environment and biota shift from upstream to downstream. This is an all-day trip on 18 Sept 2021, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm. Students will meet at Stimson Hall 9/18 at TBD time. No option for partial participation. Trip is offered only once.

  •  3099 NTRES 4560   LAB 401

    • T
    • Aug 26 - Dec 7, 2021
    • Flecker, A

      McIntyre, P

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  •  3100 NTRES 4560   LAB 402

    • W
    • Aug 26 - Dec 7, 2021
    • Flecker, A

      McIntyre, P

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 19798 NTRES 4560   FLD 801

    • S
    • Sep 18, 2021
    • Flecker, A

      McIntyre, P

  • Instruction Mode: In Person