TLS 365

TA: Kealoha Freidenburg Office: TLS 370

Office hours: TBA and by arrangement Phone: 486-4694

Punctuality is expected! We will generally have much to do at the start of each lab.

If you are late, you will hold up your lab partner, and make me repeat any instructions. If something is going to prevent you from arriving on time, please let me know ahead of time. Additionally, some of the exercises will require your coming into the lab outside of the normal lab hours. We will leave the lab unlocked whenever possible to accommodate you. On days when this is not possible, we will usually be available to let you into the lab.

We will be performing dissections for a large portion of this lab. A dissection kit is

required. If you don’t already have one, these are available at the COOP. The kit should contain:

- Large scissors

- Small scissors

- Large forceps

- Small forceps

- Blunt probe

- Needle probe

- Scalpel and blades (size #10)

Vinyl or latex gloves are recommended, especially for dissections of the Dogfish.

Quizzes:

Practical experience has shown that students tend to perform better in lab when they are properly prepared. This generally requires carefully reading the lab handout and familiarizing yourself with the procedures you will be performing. We will be having a

quiz each week before lab, to be sure you are familiar with that day’s lab. These quizzes

should not be any cause for anxiety and should require little studying. Reading over the

handout should be sufficient.

Weekly Assignments:

Most of the labs will focus on anatomy and diversity. You will often be required to turn in an assignment at the beginning of the next week’s lab. These will be outlined in the lab handout. They are not formal lab reports; most assignments will consist of some drawings and a few questions.

In order to hone your research skills and expand your knowledge of a particular fish species, there will be a group project involving the detailed examination of a local fish. More details about this project will be given at a later date.

Fish identification:

Each lab group (pair) will be responsible for identifying 25 different fish by the end of the semester. There will be a set of 40 fish from which to choose your set. Identification keys will be available throughout the semester.

Lab report:

Each student will collect a data set of fish scale imprints, analyze the data set and prepare a report. Details on this report including the due date will be announced later.

Practical exams:

There will be two lab practicals. We will make all material available for review and will also have a review session. Lab practical study guides will be made available. There is no cumulative final for this lab.

As with any lab course, do not let yourself get behind. You can save yourself a lot of time and heartache by simply reading ahead. However, if you are having any trouble at all with the lab, come see me! The department pays me to teach this lab, therefore, it is my job to help you learn and understand the material, and I want you to do well.

1/22 Lab 1: External anatomy, identification, illustration.

1/29 Lab 2: Axial osteology, musculature, gills.

2/5 Lab 3: Cranial osteology.

2/12 Lab 4: Jaws, dentition and digestion.

2/19 Lab Practical (Exam 1)

2/26 Lab 5: Fish diversity – Chondrichthyes, Lower Osteichthyes

3/5 Lab 6: Fish diversity – Teleosts I.

3/12 Lab 7: Fish diversity – Teleosts II.

3/19 no lab - spring break.

3/26 Lab Practical (Exam 2)

4/2 Lab 8: Age and growth I.

4/9 Lab 9: Age and growth II.

4/16 Lab 10: Field trip – Mansfield Hollow.

4/23 Lab 11: Field trip – Stream sampling.

4/30 Lab 12: Project presentations.

* In addition, a Saturday field trip to the New England Aquarium is being considered.

The lab grade will be based on the scores earned from quizzes, weekly assignments, fish identification, 2 lab practicals, a group project, and a lab report. No extra credit will be given, and no late assignments or papers will be accepted. If you know in advance that you will be missing a lab, come talk to me prior to that lab. Otherwise, be prepared to hand in all assignments at the beginning of the lab period.

Weekly assignments 5%

Fish identification 5%

Quizzes 10 %

Practical exams (2@ 25 pts each) 50 %

Group project 15%

Lab report 15 %

Lab notebook: Given the amount of material covered in this course, you may find it useful to maintain a lab notebook. In this notebook, you can keep sketches, definitions, and any other notes that help you learn the material and study for exams. Any type of notebook can be used. This is not a class requirement, but merely a helpful suggestion.