701-2437-01L Aquatic Ecology (Incl. Two Identification Courses)
| Semester | Autumn Semester 2024 |
| Lecturers | J. Jokela, A. Narwani, F. Altermatt, F. Pomati, C. T. Robinson |
| Periodicity | yearly recurring course |
| Language of instruction | English (lecture), English (exercise), German (practical/laboratory course), German (practical/laboratory course) |
| Comment | The course can only be booked via the Biology Office of Student Affairs. |
Courses
| Number | Title | Hours | Lecturers | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 701-1437-00 V | Aquatic Ecology I Unregelmässige Lehrveranstaltung | 40s hrs |
| A. Narwani, F. Altermatt, F. Pomati, C. T. Robinson | |||||||||
| 701-1437-03 U | Aquatic Ecology II First half of the semester; at EAWAG, FLUX B01 Includes 3-day field trip from 25.09.2024 - 27.09.2024 | 90s hrs |
| A. Narwani, F. Altermatt, F. Pomati, C. T. Robinson | |||||||||
| 701-1437-01 P | Bestimmungskurs aquatische Makroinvertebraten Takes place at EAWAG (FLUX B01) | 28s hrs |
| J. Jokela | |||||||||
| 701-1437-02 P | Bestimmungskurs Süsswasseralgen und aquatische Mikroinvertebraten Takes place at EAWAG (FLUX B01). | 28s hrs |
| J. Jokela |
Catalogue data
| Abstract | This course combines Limnology (the study of inland waters in its broad sense) with ecological and evolutionary concepts. It deals with rivers, groundwater and lakes.This course contains a lecture part, an experimental part, two determination courses (aquatic invertebrates and algae) as well as excursions. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | During this course you will get an overview of the world's typical continental aquatic ecosystems. After this course you will be able to understand how aquatic organisms have adapted to their habitat, and how the interactions (e.g. food web) between organisms work. During the experimental part of this course you will learn the principles of doing research to observe interrelations in aquatic ecosystems. You will measure and interpret biological and physical data (e.g. during experiments, field work) and present the collected knowledge scientifically. After this course you will know the most important aquatic species groups (macroinvertebrates, microinvertebrates and freshwater algae) in Switzerland and the most important identification traits. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The course contains a lecture part, an experimental part, two determination courses (aquatic invertebrates and algae) and field excursions. Lecture: The lecture part covers ecology and evolution of aquatic organisms in lentic and lotic waters. Topics include: Adaptations, distribution patterns, biotic interactions, and conceptual paradigms in freshwater ecosystems; important aspects regarding ecosystem metabolism and habitat properties of freshwaters; applied case studies and experiments testing ecological and evolutionary processes in freshwaters. Practical part: The practical part includes an excursion to Greifensee and a 3-day-excursion to the river Glatt in Niederuzwil, where you independently perform small research projects. Additionally, you will perform in small groups an independent experiment in a research group at Eawag. The taxonomic part will cover macroinvertebrates (e.g. Crustacean, aquatic insects), microinvertebrates and algae. The goal is to get to know the most common aquatic taxa in Switzerland, to identify them with commonly used identification literature, and to get an idea how these organisms are used in research and practice. (language: German, translation of the most important things during the course possible) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | Course notes and power point presentations provided during the course. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | The maximal participating number of biology students is 16. The course includes a field trip to Greifensee (21.09.2023) and a 3-day-excursion to the river Glatt in Niederuzwil from 27.09. to 29.09.2023. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Competencies |
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Performance assessment
| Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again) | |
Performance assessment as a semester course | |
| ECTS credits | 12 credits |
| Examiners | F. Altermatt, J. Jokela, A. Narwani, F. Pomati, C. T. Robinson, A. A.-T. Weber |
| Type | graded semester performance |
| Language of examination | German |
| Repetition | Repetition only possible after re-enrolling for the course unit. |
| Additional information on mode of examination | Die Gesamtnote des Blockkurses setzt sich zusammen aus zwei Bestimmungskursen (Gewichtung je 1/6) sowie dem allgemeinen Teil Limnoökologie (Vorlesung, Forschungsberichte - Gewichtung 2/3). Es gilt eine 100%-ige Anwesenheitspflicht. Abmeldung: Wenn Sie sich von einem Kurs, der Ihnen zugeteilt wurde, aus zwingenden Gründen abmelden müssen, melden Sie sich spätestens vier Wochen vor Kursbeginn schriftlich beim Kursverantwortlichen ab, bei Kursen im 1. Viertel gilt eine Abmeldefrist von einer Woche. Zusätzlich muss auch das D-BIOL Studiensekretariat informiert werden (Email-CC an studies@biol.ethz.ch), damit die Belegung gelöscht wird. Ansonsten gilt der Kurs als "nicht-bestanden". |
Learning materials
| No public learning materials available. | |
| Only public learning materials are listed. |
Groups
| No information on groups available. |
Restrictions
| There are no additional restrictions for the registration. |
Offered in
| Programme | Section | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology Bachelor | Block Courses in the 1st Half of the Semester | W | |