Module Information
Module Identifier
BR22020
Module Title
Freshwater Biology
Academic Year
2024/2025
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 2
Reading List
Other Staff
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Practical write-up of the practical data including introduction, results and discussion 2000 Words | 50% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours Exam including 2 essays under examination conditions | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Practical write-up of the practical data including introduction, results and discussion 2000 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours Exam including 2 essays under examination conditions | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of freshwater ecosystems and their biological communities.
Explain the processes which control the functioning of lake and river ecosystems.
Describe the factors that affect the population dynamics of organisms in the freshwater environment.
Demonstrate skills in data collection, analysis and interpretation of data when sampling the freshwater environment.
Identify the principal groups of freshwater invertebrates and demonstrate an understanding of functional classification.
Brief description
This module aims to introduce students to the organisms and processes that characterise freshwater ecosystems, through an integrated series of lectures and practical classes. It covers a range of freshwater habitats from rivers to lakes, and a range of organisms from viruses to vertebrates and how these groups interact. It also takes account of the impact of human activity on all of these.
Aims
1. Demonstrate an understanding of freshwater ecosystems and their biological communities
2. Explain the processes which control the functioning of lake and river ecosystems
3. Identify the principal groups of freshwater invertebrates
4. Describe the factors (abiotic and biotic) that affect the population dynamics of organisms in the freshwater environment.
2. Explain the processes which control the functioning of lake and river ecosystems
3. Identify the principal groups of freshwater invertebrates
4. Describe the factors (abiotic and biotic) that affect the population dynamics of organisms in the freshwater environment.
Content
The module assumes no prior knowledge of inland waters, although some students may have a little background from physical geography or from field work undertaken at school or college.
Lectures
The lecture series starts with an overview of the freshwater environment, including a global perspective of habitat types and biota. It covers the structural aspects of freshwater systems, including the physical habitat characteristics at a variety of spatial and temporal scales in lakes and rivers, and an overview of the freshwater biota and its adaptations to the medium. Following lectures focus primarily on temperate freshwater environments as most relevant to our location. Abiotic factors that affect freshwater systems, including temperature, light and biogeochemical cycles are introduced, including factors determining the availability and chemistry of water in inland drainage.
The section on lake biology includes a review of primary producers and their principal characteristics. It covers seasonal variation in relation to stratification, the role of the microbial and bacterial/viral loops. The section also deals with zooplankton, their place in open water trophic webs, including competition, bottom-up and top-down controls on the functioning of open water systems. It concludes with the biology of the benthos, including macrophytes.
In dealing with river systems, the theme is the spatial pattern imposed by changing conditions from the headwater to the estuary. Relationships between physical conditions and biological assemblages are described, together with the role of biotic interactions in determining the structure of stream invertebrate assemblages. Physical disturbance is discussed as is the concept of patch dynamics. A section on the dynamics of organic matter in streams provides a link with the section on lakes. Vertebrate assemblages in freshwater systems and the longitudinal zonation of vertebrates along European rivers are described in relation to abiotic factors.
The final section of the course deals with human impacts, how anthropogenic factors are affecting our freshwater systems.
Practicals
One practical spread over five slots. The sequence of sessions is weather dependent.
1. Introduction to common invertebrate groups and developing ID skills to family level in most cases.
2. Field trip (river). Sorting invertebrates.
3. Field trip (lake). Sorting invertebrates.
4. Laboratory analysis of river material. Identification and quantification of organisms. Logging of data.
5. Laboratory analysis of lake material. Identification and quantification of organisms. Logging of data.
Lectures
The lecture series starts with an overview of the freshwater environment, including a global perspective of habitat types and biota. It covers the structural aspects of freshwater systems, including the physical habitat characteristics at a variety of spatial and temporal scales in lakes and rivers, and an overview of the freshwater biota and its adaptations to the medium. Following lectures focus primarily on temperate freshwater environments as most relevant to our location. Abiotic factors that affect freshwater systems, including temperature, light and biogeochemical cycles are introduced, including factors determining the availability and chemistry of water in inland drainage.
The section on lake biology includes a review of primary producers and their principal characteristics. It covers seasonal variation in relation to stratification, the role of the microbial and bacterial/viral loops. The section also deals with zooplankton, their place in open water trophic webs, including competition, bottom-up and top-down controls on the functioning of open water systems. It concludes with the biology of the benthos, including macrophytes.
In dealing with river systems, the theme is the spatial pattern imposed by changing conditions from the headwater to the estuary. Relationships between physical conditions and biological assemblages are described, together with the role of biotic interactions in determining the structure of stream invertebrate assemblages. Physical disturbance is discussed as is the concept of patch dynamics. A section on the dynamics of organic matter in streams provides a link with the section on lakes. Vertebrate assemblages in freshwater systems and the longitudinal zonation of vertebrates along European rivers are described in relation to abiotic factors.
The final section of the course deals with human impacts, how anthropogenic factors are affecting our freshwater systems.
Practicals
One practical spread over five slots. The sequence of sessions is weather dependent.
1. Introduction to common invertebrate groups and developing ID skills to family level in most cases.
2. Field trip (river). Sorting invertebrates.
3. Field trip (lake). Sorting invertebrates.
4. Laboratory analysis of river material. Identification and quantification of organisms. Logging of data.
5. Laboratory analysis of lake material. Identification and quantification of organisms. Logging of data.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | It is expected that students will conduct statistical analyses of data collected in practicals. |
| Communication | Students will produce a report on the laboratory practicals which will require them to develop good skills in effective science communication. This will be assessed through the laboratory practical report. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Not a significant component of assessment in this module. However, students will be provided with feedback on assessed exercises. They will also engage in self-improvement of taxonomic skills in the first practical session. |
| Information Technology | It is expected that students will word process reports, use spreadsheet programs to handle data and graph findings, and statistical programs to analyse data. The correct application of this technology will be assessed via practical reports. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Students will be made aware of the practical skills they are using in sampling methodology and invertebrate identification would be relevant to future employment in environmental assessment and research. |
| Problem solving | Not a significant component of the module, though students will be encouraged to consider problems that arise in relation to environmental sampling and data collection during the practical elements of the module. |
| Research skills | Students will be required to engage with the peer-reviewed research literature and this will require effective use of scientific search engines, and critical reading and appraisal of scientific papers. Effective use of the peer-reviewed literature will be assessed via the practical report and examination. Research skills will be developed through introduction and application of basic methods of data collection. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Use of keys and species identification of freshwater invertebrates, developed during the practical |
| Team work | Students will be expected to work in teams to carry out sampling and sorting of practical material. They will be expected to work as a team to complete these elements, balancing the work load amongst members of the team. Assessment will be on individual work. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5