Hydrobiology

Course unit title

Scientific direction

Scientific code

Faculty

Department (s)

Hydrobiology

Zoology N 014

Life Sciences Center

Institute of Biosciences

Mode of studies

Number of credits

Mode of studies

Number of credits

Lectures

0

Consultations

1

Self-studies

9

Seminars

0

Aims of course

To raise skills for individual study of scientific literature. To acquaint with methodology of scientific research and major regularities of hidrobiology. To raise skills for critical analysis and synthesis of information. To qualify for autonomous scientific research.

Main topics

Water as living environment: physical and chemical properties, heat, light propagation, salinity. Importance of water movement for hidrosystems, their types. Biogeochemical cycles: carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, iron, sulfur, silica and other elements. Microbes and plants. Animals. Biodiversity. Plankton community: diversity, composition, change. Bottom communities. Nektobenthos. Ichthyofauna. Production and destruction. Bottom sediments, their composition and origin. Bacterial loop. Ontogeny, composition and productivity of aquatic ecosystems, succession processes. Human impacts on freshwater ecosystems. Fish ecology, fisheries and aquaculture. Protection of water bodies and their status restoration.

Main literature

Dodds W., Whiles M., 2019. Freshwater Ecology: Concepts and Environmental Applications of Limnology (3-rd edition). Elsevier.

Wetzel R.G., 2001. Limnology – Lake and River Ecosystems (3-rd edition). Elsevier Academic Press.

Brönmark C., Hanson L.-A., 2005. The biology of Lakes and Ponds (2-nd edition). Oxford University Press.

Lampert W., Sommer U. 2007. Limnoecology. Oxford University Press.

Assessment strategy

Assessment criteria

Exam consists of two parts – scientific presentation and exam test. Both exam parts have equal weight for final evaluation. Final grade is the arithmetic mean of grades of two exam parts.

Scientific presentation

Presentation is arranged on in advance agreed topic basing on scientific papers and other scientific literature.  Duration – up to 20 min, presentation – in a PowerPoint format. Assessed are quality of content and delivery of presentation, correspondence to agreed topic, participation in a scientific discussion, ability to answer questions and defend scientific propositions. 10-point grading scale is used for evaluation.

Exam test (orally)

Exam test consists from two open type questions. Assessed are profoundness and accuracy of subject concepts and scientific knowledge, ability to collate, critically analyze and clarify. 10-point grading scale is used for evaluation.

Kęstutis Arbačiauskas

Dr.

Prof.

Approved by the Council of Graduate School of Life Sciences Center No 600000-…-… on the …. of …… 2021

Chairman