ENVC 315 - Limnology and Reservoir Ecology

Credits: 5
Variable Credit Course: No

Lecture Hours: 44
Lab Hours: 33
Worksite/Clinical Hours: 0
Other Hours (LIA/Internships): 0

Course Description: Structure and function of lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Includes physical, chemical, and biological controls of productivity and species composition of aquatic flora and fauna, and effects of pollution on water quality.

Prerequisite: Admission to BASEC or Department Chair permission.
Meets FQE Requirement: No
Integrative Experience Requirement: No

Student Learning Outcomes

Explain how the landscape context influences the dynamics and ecology of a lake or reservoir, including anthropogenic influences.
Quantify the physical, chemical, and biological properties of water in lakes and reservoirs, including water budgets, water movement, and common water quality parameters.
Assess how physical, chemical, and biological properties of lakes influence lake biodiversity, productivity, and ecological processes.

Course Contents

Rivers and lakes: their distribution, origins, and forms.
Water economy.
Light in inland waters.
Fate of heat.
Water movements.
Structure and productivity of aquatic ecosystems.
Oxygen.
Salinity in inland waters.
Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles.
Primary plankton.
Zooplankton and fish.
Benthic invertebrates and fish.
Land-water interfaces.
Anthropogenic watershed land uses and their influence on limnetic ecosystems.

Instructional Units: 6.25